Moonlight on Water
by hippiemama3
Summary: Broken by the loss of her brother, an assassin makes her way to Skyhold, intent on facing Judgment for her crimes. Against the backdrop of the Inquisition, Cullen unravels her carefully separated life, and she must pull the pieces together. All while he pulls her out of the shadows.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you so much for taking the time to read my fanfic. Reviews, comments, and thoughts are all appreciated.**

 **World Notes: I set this pretty much in the default setting for Inquisition. The Warden sacrificed himself, Alistair is king, no dark ritual done.**

 **This isn't true to canon, there are things I have changed to suit my whims. But I tried to stay true to the feel of the game itself. Cullen gets the girl a bit faster than in game time, I have no patience and could not drag things out further. I tried, I really tried, and I just couldn't. I have a particular fascination with the idea of an assassin. In history, in games, in books, in all types of media. When the idea for this popped in my head, I knew exactly who my main character was going to be. She is NOT the Inquisitor, I wanted something a little different.**

 **Acknowledgements:**

 **I realized, sometime around the birth of my 2nd girl, that I have been raised by awesome women. I wrote my characters with the women that have raised me, been there with me, and are helping me raise my girls in mind. There is a bit of me in Talise, Valissia and Amelia, but there is also much of the fierce, strong, independent, faithful and non-believing, patient and hot-tempered, crazy and stable, old and young women I have known. May we be strong women, may we know strong women, and may we raise them.**

 **To the group of homeschoolers who I stumbled into about this time last year: Y'all are awesome. Thank you for the guidance, the support, the coffee and booze. Most of all, thank you for reminding me to do things for myself. I can not pour from an empty cup, and I needed y'all to remind me of that. Without the reminder to do things for myself, Moonlight on Water would be a story in my head.**

 **To my beta readers: Thank you for putting up with my crazy ideas, for re-reading after I rewrote the story, for talking game and backstory and game history with me.**

 **And finally, to _my_ Cullen. It's been nearly 8 years since you gave me your last name. It's been 7 since you taught me that honor, duty, and sacrifice are larger than love. You are the best husband and father I could have wished for. I told you, each time you left, that I would see you on the other side of the war you were fighting. And here we are, on the other side. Love you.**

Chapter 1: Gray Stone and Grief

Skyhold

The fortress was impressive during the day, but by night, with the dark gray stone covered in shadows, high in the inky darkness that surrounded snow-capped mountains, lit from within by countless torches and candles, it was even more so. Darkened skies did nothing to stem the stream of people coming in and out of the huge main gates, some seeking refuge, some seeking shelter, some seeking to join the Inquisition, some coming for their own reasons. Even as it was now, half torn down, time having pulled the stone walls apart, it struck a sense of awe into the heart.

Among the people coming in through the gates, stepped a mage. Red locks gleamed auburn in the faint light, a shimmering mass that is lifted into braids and twisted onto the back of her head, although strands have escaped their confines, and curl around her cheekbones, her skin rosy pink from the walk and altitude. At her side, stepping soundless, walked a young woman.

Dark hair, the color of chocolate warmed by faint traces of chestnut, hung loosely down her back, a few parts pulled back away from her face, revealing a finely boned face, high cheekbones, a delicate nose, and brilliant blue eyes, shifting from a light blue to a dark blue, surrounded by a heavy forest of sooty dark lashes. The pair of them brought more than their fair share of whispers and comments, as they made their way to the lists. The mage read the survivor lists while the dark-haired woman hung back, her eyes scanning the crowd with a practiced intensity, her chin lifting as she looked for exits, lingering on windows and doors, making note of every hallway and darkened corner.

"Talise?" A voice, familiar, cut through the crowd, and the woman turned, shaking away her study of the keep, and facing the blond- haired dwarf. Varric could not help the grin that split his face as the woman turned, and she found herself caught up in a hug, "Andraste's tits, I thought you were dead."

She managed a wobbly smile, but her attention is taken by the mage, turning to them, tugging on the sleeve of the long gray tunic Talise wears, "His name isn't on the survivors list. Talise, where is he?"

Varric blanched, reaching out a hand to curl around the mage's silken clad arm, "Valissia, you better come with me."

"Where is Jordan? We heard about some explosion at the Conclave, and then the breach opened, and then it was closed. And we got word that Haven had been overrun by some sort of demon army and then an avalanche came. I don't see him and why aren't you worried Talise?", nerves have the mage babbling, the words tumbling out past her trembling lips in a rush, as tears fill her eyes, making her storm gray gaze sparkle in the light, and spiking her dark lashes.

"Come with me. I'll take you to the Inquisitor, and his advisors. They can explain things." Varric sighs, bowing his head as he takes the woman with him into the Keep, stopping to ask for the Inquisitor, and then steering them gently in the direction of the war room. Within moments, the buzz of activity in the war room came to a stop, and as Varric spoke, and told them who was waiting outside.

Valissia, the redheaded mage came first, stepping into the firelight of the war room, and Christopher Trevelyan, Herald of Andraste, swayed for a moment, his movement drawing a look of surprise from Leiliana, who missed nothing. He was staring at one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen; gray eyes, too large for her features, dominated her face, pale skin dotted with freckles, and shining red hair, gleaming with fiery highlights in the fire and candlelight.

"This is Valissia Morrine, she was family friends with one of the soldiers at Haven…" Varric paused, looking back to the shadows, one gray shadow seemed to shift, and he beckoned to it with an open hand, "C'mere Talise, you need to hear this too."

When Varric had spoken to a shadow, the Commander of the Inquisition, Cullen Rutherford, had raised one tawny eyebrow, his amber gaze narrowing as he studied the shadow, wondering if Varric was either seeing things. There was no hint of movement from the shadowy spot Varric was looking at. A second later, one slow step by another, a woman stepped from the shadows, seeming made of the very shadows she had been hiding in. Cullen sucked in a breath, barely remembering to keep his features neutral and composed, even as he felt like someone had slammed their weight into his ribs, his amber gaze was locked on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Talise Montgomery", Varric introduced her to the group standing before her, pointing out the members of the group one by one, "Cassandra Pentaghast, Seeker, Leiliana, whose work is more delicate, and Cullen Rutherford, Commander of the military forces. And Christopher Trevelyan, Herald of Andraste."

Talise nodded at each one, her bright gaze lifting from one person to another, and despite all that was going on, despite the heaviness in the room, she wobbled for a brief second when her cerulean gaze collided with the Commander's warm amber one. One slender hand, gloved in dark gray, reached out for Valissia in an unconscious gesture, and when the Mage curled her fingers back around Talise's in support, she squeezed hard.

"They've come for news of Talise's brother, Jordan", Varric paused, looking at the floor, studying his boots as he heaved a sigh.

Christopher beckoned to a young guard nearby, "Send in some extra chairs, please, and some refreshments."

"Oh Maker… what has happened?" Valissia sniffled then, unable to keep her tears at bay any longer, and they left silvery tracks on her freckled cheeks, the emerald silk she wears turning dark as her tears fall onto her robes.

Gently, the Herald led both women through the events that surrounded the fall of Haven, asking questions of them as he spoke. Though Cullen studied both women, he found his gaze going back to Talise more and more often, the mage cried openly, sniffling back tears; but the rogue, wrapped in leather leggings of deep black, a brace of throwing knives tied around her one slim thigh, never said a word.

"So… he is dead then. Haven was taken over by some monster, and the Herald triggered an avalanche", the glass of water she held trembled slightly in her grip as Valissia spoke

Christopher nodded, taking the glass from her and setting it on the war table, before it would crash to the ground, "I am so sorry. He fought bravely. They all did."

Valissa lifted tear-filled eyes to the spot where Talise had been, but she was gone, a faint breeze blowing in her place, the young woman had disappeared into the shadows. Unable to take anymore, the mage's stormy gaze rolled up behind her lashes, and she fainted, falling forward and sliding to the ground.

It took several minutes to get Valissia up to a room, resting and asleep after a healer gave her a tonic, her red hair spread out on the pillow behind her head, downy lashes nearly brushing the tops of her smooth cheeks. In the ensuing chaos, Talise had simply vanished with a skill that was startling. Varric searched with Cullen, telling the Commander of Talise; she was Jordan's sister, she had traveled with him, when Jordan took the post of Captain of the Royal Guard to King Alistair she had frequently gone to Denerim, and that at some point in time they had run across their childhood friend, the mage sleeping upstairs. The story stopped with the explosion at the Conclave, neither the woman resting upstairs nor the one missing, had been there. Varric had feared for them both, but there had been no time to look for them or even send out letters.

"And that is all there it to tell", coming to a stop in a hallway, Varric looked up, into the rafters, "She likes high places and the shadows."

"She's is a rogue then?" Cullen tilted his head up, raking a hand through his golden blonde hair as he did so.

"Yeah, she's one of us." Varric turned a corner, coming into the courtyard where the chapel stood, and peeked into the doorway, leaning back out and motioning to the Commander, "She's in there. You're better at this part than I am."

Cullen stopped, the sound from his boots echoing even as his feet stayed were they were, his brow furrowed, "What… which part?"

"You know, the whole believing thing." Varric cast one last look at Talise, and sighed, then stepped away to let Cullen past him.

Cullen somehow found himself in the chapel, and he stared at the young woman in front of him. A long gray cloak, so dark it nearly appeared black until candlelight struck it, stretched out behind her, flowing over the steps, and he moved it gently to one side before sinking to his knees beside her.

"I can't get the words out", her head was buried her hands, her small frame bent over the steps, sparkling tears dotted the stone floor, reflecting the candlelight. Long dark hair cascaded over her face, hiding her from Cullen's view as he looked at her.

"Sometimes it happens to me too. Sometimes it feels like no one answers prayers", with a deliberate slowness, giving her plenty of time to pull away, he reached out with one gloved hand, curling it around both of hers. Her hands were slender, small, he held them both easily in one hand, and they trembled as he wrapped his gloved fingers around hers.

"My whole world has been blown apart", a ragged breath escaped her, and she choked back another sob, the tiny sound echoing in the chapel.

Something unfurled in his heart, and Cullen squeezed her hands with his one hand, "The dawn always comes. It will come again."

"I can't say the words." A soft whimper escaped her, as she dropped her forehead onto the back of his hand, where he held hers, shivers wracking her form as the tears finally came.

"I will then", he leaned closer to her, the dark circles showing around his tired eyes as they closed, and bowed his head. The words came to him, as he prayed he shifted his grip on her, her shoulders were shaking so hard she rocked back and forth as he slid an arm around them, pulling her to his side, "Though all before me is shadow. Yet shall the Maker be my guide…."

It was well past midnight when he stopped, the stone in front of them spotted with her tears, the small form at his side calm now, her tears finally gone. Gently he tugged her from her spot on the stairs, wincing as his joints protested with his movements, a grimace twisting his features when a lance of pain arced through him. With each step the pain lessened, and at the doors he nodded towards the dwarven rogue, who waited for them, wordlessly Varric took Talise's hand, and led her towards the room where Valissia rested.

Cullen watched them go, his heart aching more fiercely than it had in ages. All the death and destruction he had seen, all the war, and one woman's tears had brought him to his knees. He wanted to go after them, to take her back from Varric; to take her from Skyhold and keep her somewhere safe, his heart clenched with the notion. He stood in the doorway of the chapel, golden candlelight shining in his hair, his eyes glowing amber in the night, until long after Talise had disappeared around a corner.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Judgment

The dawn did indeed come, and with it a loud fight between the two young women. They had argued through a quick bath, through getting dressed. Varric had knocked on their door, only to back away as he heard curses coming from within, and then the sound of something heavy, like books hitting the walls, rattled the door.

A pale, but composed Valissia came to the main hall later, whispering to Cassandra, who announced that someone had come to the Inquisitor, to be judged. A few minutes later, Christopher sat on that blasted throne, uncomfortable, and unhappy looking, flanked by Cullen, Leiliana, and Josephine, all three of them having come down to watch the proceedings. The Seeker had rounded up everyone who was present the previous night, when Talise and Valissia had been told of Jordan Montgomery's death.

The doors opened, and Talise walked in. Her dark head was held high, her long tresses twisted into a braid, that hung almost down to her waist. Bright blue eyes flashed a warning at Valissia, before she gracefully walked the length of the throne room, stopping at the bottom of the steps.

"Why are you here Talise?" Christopher managed to get the words out, his eyebrows steadily working their way up his forehead. To one side he saw Valissia, her eyes red and slightly puffy, her fingers twisting a necklace she wore around her fingers.

"To be judged", Talise lifted her trembling chin, refusing to meet Valissia's gaze, not out of anger, but because she would weaken and give in. Tears swamped Valissia's eyes, and she was forced to look at the floor, unable to watch her friend stand before the Inquisitor's throne any longer.

Cullen and Cassandra shared shocked gazes, the Seeker lifting a shoulder in confusion back at the Commander. For a moment, he caught a flash of bright blue as Talise looked at him, and her features softened, that something that had passed between them in the chapel squeezed painfully around his heart once more.

"Judged for what?" Christopher's question hung in the air, the room hushed and quiet.

Instead of an answer, Talise held out the book she had carried with her, gray leather, silver edged pages, and Christopher stood, flicking through a few pages, before handing it to Leiliana. The spymaster read several pages, then looked up at Talise, her icy blue gaze wide in shock, "No. You cannot be."

"Be what?" Cullen's voice was more than a little irritated as he spoke, his jaw tight with tension, and he folded his arms over his chest with an impatient gesture.

"Ghost. This book details the jobs taken by the Ghost of Ferelden" Leiliana spoke the words in a hushed whisper, her eyes still locked on Talise, "My agents have been searching for Ghost for years, with never a hint of who she was."

"The assassin?" Josephine nearly dropped the roll of parchment she was holding, her dark eyes wide, and one slender hand raised to her throat, "Even in Antiva she is famous."

"Where… where did you get the book Talise?" For a moment Cullen did nothing, his warm amber eyes locked onto Talise, until finally he moved from his spot and came to stand beside her, curling his fingers around her arm and tugging her to face him, "What are you doing?"

"Talise! Stop it!" Varric shouted from the doors, rushing down the length of the room, "Jordan would not want this, and you know it! Valissia needs you here. You can still do something to help."

"You knew?!" Cullen could not stop the shout that left him as he turned on the dwarf, his fingers curled tight around Talise's arm, torn between pulling her to him and pushing her away.

"Of course I did! I've known her for years", undeterred by the Commander's anger, Varric walked up the steps, "It wasn't my place to reveal who she is. And just what did you tell her last night, that has her here to confess and be judged? I sent you to her to help her!"

The Commander blanched, looking down at Talise, who met his gaze for just a few moments, before she faltered, and her sky touched gaze dropped from his, leaving him feeling oddly bereft, "You're really Ghost?"

Her head moved as she nodded, her lashes obscuring her gaze as she closed her eyes for a moment, steeling herself for the judgment coming, and suddenly unable to bear it. Cullen took a moment to look at Talise, looking past the delicate beauty, to truly see her. A short sword and long dagger were sheathed on her back, a brace of throwing knives strapped around one leather clad thigh, he could see the handles of stiletto knives sticking out of her boots. A scar ran across the back of one pale hand, and his fingers moved to the scar, tracing the milky white line with calloused finger tips.

"While you have been bickering and staring at her, we've been reading", Cassandra spoke then, her gaze locked onto Talise's arm, where Cullen's hand was still curled around it. She stood next to Christopher, and on the other side of him stood Leiliana, who held the book.

"You've walked a fine line. You've never killed an innocent, you chose to render guards unconscious, killing only when you are cornered and have no way out. But your kill list is made up of some horrible people", Leiliana gestured to the book she holds, "I am not sorry that many of these people are gone."

"I agree" Cassandra nodded, "You've done good work. You caught an insurrection as it formed in Denerim, likely saving King Alistair's life. Routed out a slaver network and freed elven slaves."

Christopher said nothing, but sat and stared at his clasped hands in front of him for a moment, finally he lifted his dark head, stepped from the throne he sat on, and came to stand in front of assassin, gently reaching for Cullen's arm "Be at ease Commander."

It took a moment for Cullen to remember that he is still held Talise's arm, and an even longer moment for him to let go, but slowly he did, moving to stand behind her, "She does not deserve judgment."

Josephine's raven eyebrows nearly touched her hairline as she watched the Commander argue for the life of one of the most well-known assassins in Ferelden. It was rumored her contacts extended to Navarra, to Rivain, she had worked in Tevinter, had navigated the courts of Orlais with ease. None of that seemed to matter as Cullen looked at Christopher, the Commanders hands clenching at his sides.

"He is right you know" Christopher looked down at Talise, finding himself studying her bowed head, "Talise Montgomery, I cannot judge you. You've done good in your life. I know you're hurting, and I know why you did this. But… the Inquisition needs you."

The air was sucked from the room, and the Herald lifted his green gaze to Valissia's, smiling at her shocked face, "You defended Valissia and fought against all that stood between you both and Skyhold, by yourself, with no warrior to defend you. We need your contacts and your talents and your strengths. I would like for you to join the Inquisition."

Talise blinked, once, then twice, sooty lashes covering her gaze, not as she considered her options, but in pure shock. She looked at Varric beside her, and then craned her neck, looking for Valissa, who had both hands at her throat in shock. The leather leggings she wore creaked softly when she turned, looking up at Cullen, his gaze entreating her to take the offer as he stared down at her. She lost herself for a moment, staring up at Cullen's face, it felt like he was tugging her from the shadows and towards him. Time ground to a halt as she looked up at Cullen, and she found herself agreeing to the offer, even before she looked away.

"If… if you think I'm worthy. If you think I have something to offer", Talise turned, pulling her gaze from Cullen's slowly, to the Herald, "Then yes. I'll join."

Long hours later, Cullen sat at his office desk, his face buried in his hands. The Ghost of Ferelden was a feared assassin, belonging to no guild, seeming to operate on her own terms, but sticking to a code of honor that was strict. She was unstoppable, no amount of guards or soldiers, no amount of running, hiding, magic, nothing else kept her from a target. Talise was patient, several times she had waited for years before making her move. He had read through the journal she brought, and knew many details from Leiliana; the Ghost never seduced a target, not even when in Orlais, never took a job that targeted children, she once had waited for a target's wife to recover from an illness before taking his life. Beneath Ghost, there was Talise, a young woman hurting for her brother, the last of her family, from the reports Leiliana had written this morning, her parents had died during the Blight, and shortly after she had started training, but no one seemed to know who had trained her.

"Maker's Breath. The Ghost of Ferelden has joined the Inquisition", he murmured the words to himself, still shocked over the events, and tipped his head back to look up at the ceiling.

As he closed his eyes he thought of Kirkwall, and remembered the crazed times; Knight-Commander Meredith spinning out of control, driven mad by a red lyrium sword, the final battle with her, the Circle there exploding. From Varric he knew Talise had been there, passed through several times, and had stopped taking any work within the city, knowing that any more deaths would send Kirkwall into chaos. With a sigh, he pushed himself from his desk, and left his office, searching for the room Talise shared with her best friend, only to be met with a letter.

Commander Rutherford,

Apparently I'm so talented that Leiliana has put me to work already.

I have no idea when I will be back, or if I will even come back, and I wanted to speak with you before I left, but the chance never presented itself. Maker's breath, I'm prattling on like Valissia does when she's nervous.

Thank you. Thank you for sitting with me in the chapel, for praying when I could not. Thank you for your defense of me this morning, when I sought to be judged by the Inquisition. Thank you for believing that I am not lost. If I find redemption, it will be because you reminded me to look for it.

The dawn always comes, right?

Talise Montgomery

"I make her nervous?" He whispered the words out loud, only to feel his cheeks heat in a blush, when Valissia chuckled at his words, he had forgotten the mage was in the room.

"Yes, yes you do. That was one of the things her and I argued about this morning." Stormy gray eyes met his gaze as he looked at Valissia over the top of the letter.

"You tried to talk her out of going to be judged then?" one gloved hand gestured down to the letter, and then gestured towards the main hall.

The mage nodded, her gray eyes serious as she looked up at Cullen, "Yes, I tried to talk her out of it. She mentioned that you had stayed with her in the chapel, that you had prayed with her."

"I… I did. She was hurting." Unable to take Valissia staring at him, she seemed to be seeing more than he wanted to give away, he looked back to the letter, rubbing the back of his neck with one large, powerful hand.

Valissia nodded, watching Cullen intently. Something has passed between Talise and Cullen, and her protectiveness of the assassin was clear in her gaze, "She's still hurting. But yes, you make her nervous."

"Why? The Herald was right, she is not a bad person." Carefully he folded the letter, sliding it in between his greaves and the quilted shirt he wore beneath it.

"No, not that. Because you see her. Everyone else sees Ghost, an assassin working in the shadows, someone to try and use for their own ends. But you saw Talise, the pain and the anguish." An auburn eyebrow lifted as Valissia watched the Commander tuck the letter away. He didn't hold it in his hand like he did reports, she had already seen him deep in talks with Christopher and some others, holding a stack of papers. Instead, he was taking care with the note, revealing more with a simple gesture.

Cullen had no words, and he nodded his thanks, walking down the hallway, and back towards his office.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" Varric speaks from behind him, and Cullen turned, frowning in confusion for a moment.

"Who?" He was not trying to be obtuse, but both women were pretty, and the events of the day had worn down on his mind.

"Well, they both are. Valissia is as fragile as a rose. And Talise", the dwarf sighed, "She is moonlight on water."

"She is… striking." Blonde hair gleaming in the torchlight, Cullen nodded in agreement as they made their way across the courtyard.

"Commander, I respect you, and you know that. But do not break that girl's heart." Varric frowned as he spoke, remembering the morning's events, "Whatever happened in the chapel last night obviously impacted you both, unless I miss my guess."

The planes of Cullen's face turned dark with a blush in the light, "I have…. I have absolutely no intention of doing that."


	3. Chapter 3

Chp. 3: Playing…. Chess

For over three long weeks, Talise carved a bloody path through the Inquisition's enemies. Sometimes working on her own, sometimes with a small group of scouts, sometimes even with the Herald. She stopped for only a day or so at a time, taking out her grief and despair on the enemies that surrounded them. Stolen documents, whispered conversations that she overhead, plots and plans she ran into, it all filtered back to the Nightingale, while she dispatched as many enemies of the Inquisition as fast as she could.

In the quiet of night, she found herself writing letters. One morning the sun had blazed over the mountains in the Frostbacks, the dark blue of night fading to a blaze of crimson, gold and amber, and she had described it on paper, addressed it to the Commander, and sent it to him directly before she realized what she was doing. Working in Orlais she had found a tome of chants and prayers, and the next day the dark brown leather-bound book was sitting on his desk, with a note carefully tucked between the first few pages; _For the next time the words won't come_.

Much as he disliked gossip, Cullen found himself talking to Varric, asking questions about Talise. The first few responses the surface dwarf had walked him through; explaining that it was Talise, not Ghost, writing him, that he was seeing a side of the woman few did. After that, Cullen found himself relishing the moment in the afternoon, always in the afternoon, when he responded to whatever she had written him. He told her about the sunsets from the ramparts, near his office, about the blue morning glories that bloomed down in the garden, near where he played chess, about the stars he saw at night, when he could not sleep. Then he went to Cassandra, who offered him a piece of advice while sparring with him, "She means more than she says, trust me, I know. So now it's your turn. Tell her what you really mean when you write to her."

 _Talise,_

 _You broke my heart that first night, when you were in the chapel, crying over your brother. I have no idea what to do with a crying woman, I always seem to say the wrong thing. I hope I said the right thing, I hope it brought your comfort._

 _I will say it. I'm looking forward to your return. I want to see how good you are at chess. And show you the morning glories, they grow in a shadowy spot where the sun hits them late in the morning, and I don't always get a chance to see them, but when the sun finally breaks over the ramparts, they open to the most indescribable blue color._

 _I could never place the color, until I looked at you. It's your eyes, they are the color of your eyes._

 _Will I see you when you get back?_

 _Cullen_

He was standing in his office, nearly a month after Talise and Valissia had shown up at Skyhold, holding the last letter she had sent in his hand, his cheeks burning, but unable to stop himself from smiling.

 _Cullen,_

 _We are leaving tomorrow morning, we will probably be close to Skyhold by the time you get this._

 _Thank you. For writing to me, for reminding me of all the good left in the world, all there is left to fight for, while I have been away. I want to sit in the garden with the morning glories and play chess with you now, it's given me something to look forward to. Besides a bath, Maker's breath, I'd sell my soul for a hot bath right now._

 _Most of my life has been spent in the shadows. They make the best places to hide. But they are also cold and lonely. Every time you've looked at me, I've felt like I was standing in sunshine, warm and maybe even safe._

 _Will you show me the morning glories when I get back?_

 _Talise_

"You like her", the smirk on Dorian's face was audible in his words as the mage lounged in the doorway to Cullen's office, leaning one muscled shoulder against the doorway.

"Like who?" A hand raked through tawny, golden tresses, the blush on his cheeks darkening in color.

"Talise. The Ghost of Ferelden walked into Skyhold and just upended your world", the Tevinter mage continued to speak as he pushed from the doorway, and walked to stand in front of Cullen's desk.

"Of course I like her. She's a skilled assassin and spy, a talented rogue. She's an asset to this cause that we badly need." Carefully, he tucked Talise's last letter into a small box, and sat it next to the book of prayers and chants she had sent him from Orlais.

"Gorgeous. You forgot about the gorgeous part." A dark eyebrow lifted as Dorian watched Cullen tuck the letter he was holding in a box, but Dorian said nothing about it.

"Moonlight on water" the words were out of Cullen's mouth before he could stop them, and he cursed as Dorian laughed.

"She has you speaking like Varric", Dorian laughed harder, walking towards the door, "You're that far gone. C'mon, let's play some chess, get your mind off things."

Cullen nodded, shoving away from his desk and following the mage down to the garden. He needed to clear his head, he needed to put the letters from Talise down, he needed fresh air. He needed to see a shadow outside coalesce into her form, but until that happened, he would settle for chess.

It had taken little more than three weeks of fighting, spying, three weeks of immersing herself into a bloody world, for the grief to fade to a dull ache. One morning, she had talked with Iron Bull, about her brother, and the path he had walked, and how she could not grieve for a man who chose his own path. She had ignored the teasing comments about Cullen, her cheeks heating in a blush that had the Qunari warrior chuckling for hours whenever he looked at her. She had emerged from the time believing in herself, in her own worth, and ready to take on the fight with the Inquisition. Already her contacts were working, actively trying to ferret out any information they could find, and get it back to her.

For now, she was sitting on a bench in the garden, her knees drawn to her chest, watching Cullen play Dorian in chess, watching the light filter through his golden hair, watching the way his brow furrowed in thought. He turned his head enough and she saw the scar that cut down to his lips, for a moment she wanted to trace the path with her own, the idea bringing a hot blush to her cheeks.

"Your face is going to freeze like that", the long dress Valissa wore, rustled as she walked, a whisper of silk against the stones and grass. Lifting one side of the dress, she moved to the bench, sitting down besides Talise.

Talise's smooth features were dark with a blush, even as she was studied Cullen with all the intent of an assassin, and her bright cerulean gaze was locked onto him, "I wonder what he fights like."

Valissia could not help the laughter that shook her thin shoulders, and she buried her face in her hands, strands of red hair escaping the braids coiled around her head, "Blessed Andraste, you're watching that man, right now, and you're thinking of fighting?"

"It was a compliment. His prowess is battle is well known. Rarely do I get the chance to fight openly", Talise scowled at Valissia, moving to lean against the mage even as she glared at her, her eyes twinkling with irritation, "But no, that was not all I was thinking about."

"Here, let me do your hair and I will tell you what I see when I see Commander Rutherford", Valissia lifted the small pack she had, besides a spell book tucked with it, she had a comb and a several hair pins, "I was on my way to the mage tower, but I think I would rather watch you, watch him play chess."

Without speaking, Talise moved to sit on the ground between Valissia's feet, sighing happily as her dearest friend dug her fingers into her hair, easing the tangles from the long tresses, before starting to work on it with a long comb, "and I know you don't like your hair up, so I won't put it up, I promise."

Talise leaned her head against one of Valissia's silken covered knees, her eyes closed, and slowly she relaxed, "Tell me what you see when you look at him."

"Oh my heart, you have it bad", Valissia grinned, lifting the mass of Talise's dark hair up, and started to work on a few small braids around the assassin's delicate face, "You don't look like a famous assassin. It always shocks me, realizing the owner of this face owns more knives than I think are in the armory."

Cullen sat across the courtyard, embroiled in a lengthy game of chess with Dorian, but he had not made a move in several minutes, instead he watched Talise and Valissia, the mage's fiery shocks shining brightly in the muted sunlight, as she combed through Talise's dark, gleaming hair. His fingers clenched around the chess piece he held, earning him a sigh of irritation from Dorian, and he blinked, looking down at the chessboard, "Sorry."

"She is extraordinarily beautiful" Dorian mused, quickly taking the piece Cullen had just put down, "They both are, actually. But you still sit on the edge of the chessboard, rather than go after the piece you want."

"Are we going to play chess or not?" Cullen grumbled, but his gaze, warm like honey, kept going back to Talise. Her eyes were closed, dark lashes protecting her gaze, as she relaxed against Valissia's leg. It was rare for the assassin to fully relax, and Cullen understood why; years of training, and years of experience after that, kept her on guard.

"I thought we were talking about you and Talise." Dorian grinned at Cullen across the table, his dark eyes sparkling merrily, "You know, I thought you had taken a vow of chastity. Sworn off women completely."

"What? I… No." Cullen rubbed at the back of his neck, "Some templars do. I didn't. Maker's breath, just go already."

"I see golden hair, and those warm eyes you just want to sink into. And that scar on his lip, and those broad shoulders. If you stood close enough to him Talise, we wouldn't be able to see you, look how tall he is." Valissia continued to work, taking a small comb and working it through her friend's hair, gently easing tangles from it.

Talise nodded, her lashes lifting at the description, her mouth dry as she followed Valissia's description with her eyes, but she said nothing. Skillful, talented hands continue to plait her hair, working the smaller braids into the long, chocolate dark tresses, and then working all her hair into one longer braid, "Hold still, or it will be crooked."

"He has nice hands." The words were spoken on a soft sigh as Talise looked over at Cullen, her sharp, sky touched eyes watching his fingers as he played chess.

Valissia nodded in response, her fingers nimbly working Talise's long hair into a single braid, compromised of many smaller ones, "Oh Talise, he has gorgeous hands. I was watching him at dinner the other day, and he has long fingers, and strong hands."

"I noticed too" Talise grumbled, squirming as Valissia turned her head one way and then the other, "I wonder if you would see anything but him."

"What do you mean?" the redheaded mage frowned in confusion, tilting Talise's head backwards to look into her gaze.

"Valissia, you're no blushing school girl. You know when you're with a man, and you look up at him. Cullen is tall, and his shoulders so broad, I wonder if he would hide the world while you were with him", Talise could not help the naked sigh of want that escaped her.

Behind her, Valissia dropped a hair pin, studded with a tiny ceramic flower in deep blue, "My word Talise, you've grown positively poetic around the Commander. And probably so. Is that what you want then? To be engulfed by someone?"

"Yes. By him." The words were whispered behind her fingers, as Talise peered across the courtyard at Cullen, a blush rising to her high cheeks.

Valissia slid another few flower studded hair pins into Talise's hair, before leaning back and eyeing her work critically, a grin curving her lips, "I knew there was passion underneath that cool exterior. I am glad to see it finally emerge."

"Tell me Cullen, have you ever been with a woman like that?" Dorian frowned in thought, moving one piece on the chessboard after careful deliberation.

Cullen was grateful for the game, to be able to focus on something other than Talise. She was distracting, every time he looked over at her she was looking at him from under a veil of lashes, and the glimpses of her bright cerulean gaze seemed to arrow into him, "There is no woman like that, besides her."

"All the right curves in the all the right places." Dorian grinned wolfishly at the Commander, lifting an eyebrow at him, "Have you seen her spar yet?"

"Just for a few moments." The Commander kept his gaze focused on the chess board, meeting Dorian's gaze and grin with a blush that darkens the tops of cheeks, and almost touches the start of the scar on the side of his face.

Still Dorian grins, his not-quite-green and not-quite-gold gaze dancing with mirth, "She's very… flexible. A woman like that could almost curl herself around you entirely."

A hot blush rose to Cullen's cheeks, and the chess piece in his fingers nearly fell to the chess board. The game was forgotten as the two men sat talking, watching Valissia work Talise's hair into something elegant, yet simple. Cullen barely moved, barely took his eyes from Talise as he spoke, "I could probably carry her in one arm."

"Think of the possibilities then." Dorian reacted swiftly as Cullen finally made his move, winning the chess game in one move, "And that's the game."

"Yes, it is." He settled back in his chair, his gaze still locked on Talise, watching her as Valissia lifted her small chin, the long line of her throat revealed to him. His heart thudded against his ribs, his blood warming at the sight of vulnerable, smooth skin.

"Well, this game at least." Standing up, the Tevinter mage beckoned Talise to him, "Let me see your hair love."

As Dorian spoke, Talise tilted her head back down, her sky touched gaze collided with his honeyed one, and she had to bite her lip to keep from whimpering. Looking at him was like stepping into sunshine, like walking into a pool of golden light in the morning. She did not move until Valissia did, tipping her head back so that they looked at each other upside down.

"Go on love, go play… chess with the Commander", Valissia grinned down at Talise, leaning to plant a tender kiss on the assassin's forehead, "Offer a favor to him if he beats you."

Talise unfolded her legs, long for her short height, and stood, rising to her feet with an easy, natural grace that took Cullen's breath away, as Valissia dusted the back of her shirt and leggings off, before rising herself, taking Dorian's offered arm.

"You have a special bond. Friends like that are rare", there was a wistful note, for just a moment, in Dorian's voice as he walked with Valissia, "Come, I'll help you with your studies, I have an idea."

Talise cast one last look over her shoulder, her gaze met with encouraging smiles from both Dorian and Valissia, before walking soundlessly to Cullen, "Care to play one more game?"

"If you would like" Cullen watched her, his eyes tracking over her cool, pale skin as she took the chair across from him, "I didn't know you played."

"Valissia and Jordan both did. Every time I came to Denerim, I had to play chess with him, and we always ended drinking too much while we played", Talise grinned at the memory, watching as Cullen reset the board.

"Too much?" He set up the board, flicking his glance to Talise when she mentioned drinking.

Talise nodded, studying the board intently, "I always ended up drunk, and hungover, the next morning."

Cullen laughed at that, leaning back in his chair and motioning for Talise to make the first move on the chess board, "The headache always lingered long into the day for me."

"I hate the part where the world spins", Talise blinked when Cullen took away a piece already, her eyebrows lifting, "Oh. You're better at this than I assumed."

"I used to play with my sister, who took delight in winning. I had to be good to finally beat her" He smiled at Talise across the table, a genuine smile, warm like the sun.

"Valissia is a master at this. I can never beat her", she frowns in concentration, before making another move on the board.

As soon as Talise had made his move, he made his, capturing another piece, "Maybe I could teach you a few things, and you can next time you play",

"Speaking of her, she told me something before I came over here to play", taking a piece from Cullen's side in a move, Talise looked up at him, twirling the piece between her fingers.

His armor clinked softly as he leaned back in his chair again, steepling his fingers together as he watched her, "And that was?"

It takes a moment for her to speak, while she gathers her nerve, and when she finally does, she keeps her thickly lashed gaze firmly on the chessboard in front of her, "She said I should offer you a favor if you win"

He paused them, looking up at her intently, his gaze focused on her until she lifted her eyes to him. When her summer bright gaze finally collided with his, he smirked, "Then I shall have to play my best."

Talise won the game. At first, she had been teasing, willing to let Cullen win, but at a challenging look from him, she had focused on the game, moving pieces around the board, drawing him into several defensive traps, until finally, Cullen leaned back, "And I believe that is the game."

"Does this mean I get a favor from you then?" A smile, a genuine smile curled the corners of her lips upwards, as she looked up at Cullen from under a forest of lashes, unable to meet his gaze suddenly.

"It only seems fair", Cullen leaned back, looking around, his brow furrowing as he thought about what to get her, until his eyes landed on a far corner of the garden, "Stay here, and I'll bring it to you."

Talise watched as he watched away, sighing at the breadth of his shoulders. She had been right, laying beneath him he would block out the world; a shiver coasted down her spine, prickling her skin as she imagined it. He walked past a small table, picked a flower, and turned, walking back to her, his hands held behind his back.

It was the longest walk he had ever taken, holding that delicate morning glory in his hands, cupping them carefully around the flower to keep from bruising the soft, delicate petals. When he got back to the chess table, he stopped, suddenly unsure of himself, while no stranger to sex, he had never truly done anything like this, something that felt remarkably close to courting.

Curiousity gleamed in Talise's gaze, and he could not help but grin as she looked up at him expectedly, sure of himself once more, "Forgive me for picking one."

The almost ethereal, thin petals were cupped in one large, gloved hand, the colors a swirling mix of shades of blue, deepening to the color of the midnight sky at the edges, and for a moment Talise could not move, she just stared at it, before reaching out and taking the flower with fingers that shook just a bit, "This is probably the most beautiful flower I have ever seen."

Relief washed over Cullen, as he realized he had made the right move, Talise's face lit up with a genuine smile, "It will wilt though. Perhaps one of the mages knows a spell to preserve it."

"Valissia might", she held the flower cupped reverently in her palm, a dark forest of lashes hiding her gaze as she looked down at the fragile petals.

"Dorian will, I'm sure", his fingers caught hers, held her hand as she held the flower, and he wished suddenly he had pulled the leather gloves he always wore off. He remembered how soft her skin was from the day she stood for judgment, suddenly he wanted to feel it against his sword calloused fingers again.

"Thank you Cullen. For everything. For helping me see the light", she rose then, her knees wobbling a bit, but her movements still unearthly graceful.

"Thank you, for reminding me to look for it", he whispered the words, more to top of her head, for she was standing in front of him, staring at their entwined hands.

"Cullen?" her head lifted, revealing an almost shy gaze to him as she spoke.

He sucked in a breath, lost in her eyes as soon as she looked at him, his free hand clenching with the effort it took from reaching for her, "What is it Talise?"

"We're at war, and you're the Commander and you're always busy and I'm not sure what I am within the Inquisition," she spoke the words in a rush, nerves getting the best of her, and for a moment she had to sink her teeth into her lip, before speaking slower, "But I want more. More of this."

"More flowers?" The corner of his lips lifted in a small smile at her words, his fingers gently brushing over hers.

She nodded, smiling a little at his gentle tease, "More flowers. More chess. More time with you."

He moved then, unable to take it anymore, his free hand curling around her small back, feeling the muscles there jump even though his glove, moving the hand that held hers around the morning glory carefully out of the way, before bringing her to him fully, "I shouldn't ask for more, but I want to."

In a heartbeat, Talise knew what was coming, and she leaned into him, curling her free hand, the one not holding the flower with him, around his neck, meeting his lips halfway. It was a tender kiss, almost chaste, his lips pressed gently to hers, but a warmth spread through her, pooling in her limbs, curling around the spot between her thighs, and she whimpered, tightening her grip on his neck. He felt her lean into him, felt her, even though his armor, press into his frame, and he shivered for a moment, his skin breaking out in chills, her lips parted underneath his, a shy invitation and he took it, sliding his tongue around hers for a long moment, before slowly drawing back.

It took several kisses, stolen from each other, as they started to untangle themselves, until Cullen left Talise standing in the garden, holding the striking flower in her palm, her lips swollen and her cheeks pink, a smile on her face, "Will I see you again Commander?"

"Of course. Whenever you want to see me" Was his answer, just as he stepped into a bustling hallway, and was swept away by the tide of war.


	4. Chapter 4

Chp. 4: Needing More

The Herald was heading to the library, carrying a stack of leather bound books, shipped in from Orlais. There were any number of people who could bring the books to the library, servants, errand boys, but instead he carried them himself, ignoring the odd stares.

Valissia was in the library, probably buried in more books. She was driving him crazy, turning red any time he looked at her, subtly flirting with him, only to back off and hide. He could not take anymore, and the books merely gave him an excuse. Quietly, he slipped into the library, catching the door with his booted foot, lest it slam shut, giving him away. At the voices coming from the seats by the window, his ears perked up, and he set the books down, before following the voices.

"He is driving me insane Talise." Valissia sighed, tossing the quill pen she was writing with down and rubbing at her eyes in frustration.

Talise did not bother to look up from the book she was reading, a dark brow lifted in question at her friend's words, "How?"

"He makes my skin tingle. Everything gets warm and prickly feeling when I'm around him." Valissia's voice was plaintive, confused, even as Talise's merry laughter floated in the breeze.

"So act on it." Sighing, Talise set the book to one side, marking her place in it. She sat sideways in the chair, her back against one arm, her legs dangling over the opposite one. Her position had earned her several disgruntled looks, and she had ignored them all, absorbed in the book.

"I have no idea if he feels the same way. This is probably just some one-sided crush." Valissa shook her head, before dropping her chin onto one of her palms, her work ignored for the moment.

"He does." Talise grinned from her spot across the table, "I'm fairly certain he is stripping you naked every time he looks at you."

Christopher nodded in agreement, Valissia wore some of the most alluring robes and dresses, held in place by tiny silken ties, one set revealed over half of her smooth back. He had been unable to concentrate on anything but her smooth skin the day she had worn it.

"Talise!" the mage fairly shrieked in response, her cheeks glowing brightly. She took a deep breath, calming herself, and then smirked back at the assassin, "So tell me, do you get all warm and prickly when you look at Commander Rutherford?"

Talise's bright gaze narrowed at Valissia, and she balled up a spare piece of paper, throwing it towards the mage half-heartedly, "I'm not answering that."

"So that's a yes?" Valissia smirked at her, gesturing across the table, "Your cheeks are turning pink."

"That's a… that is none of your business." Talise paused, crumbling another piece of paper and tossing it aimlessly off the desk, "He told me I could see him any time I wanted to."

"How exactly is that a problem?" Valissia leaned forward, propping her chin on her hand, her storm cloud gaze locked onto Talise.

"I want to see him all the time. I know I must go out and work, I know there are jobs that need doing. I know I should be giving everything to the Inquisition." Talise turned in the chair, slouching and stretching her booted feet out, a frown marring her features.

Nodding in agreement, Valissia set about organizing her notes, stacking several pages together carefully, "And you do."

"But I don't want to. I want to sit in his office and read books." Try as she might, Talise cannot keep the plaintive, almost pouting tone from her voice, and she sighs, stretching further in the chair until she can prop her head on the back of it, her gaze searching the ceiling.

"And see the man naked." Valissia smirked at Talise over the table,

Talise does not move, does not flinch at her friend's words, but her cheeks darken further, "I never said anything about seeing him naked."

Christopher grinned at Talise's words, making a mental note to push Cullen further towards her later on, and leaned further around the bookcase. Talise's head tilted slightly for a moment, proof she had heard him, or felt his presence, she was uncanny in her ability to sense someone sneaking up on her, but Valissia had missed the movement, as she stared down at her notes.

"I can't concentrate Talise. I want more. I've been locked up in towers and libraries with books and tomes and dust and too much parchment, covered in ink. I miss Jordan, I always will. But I feel…." Valissia lifted her hands, waving them in the air as she spoke.

The Herald sucked in a breath, listening to the mage speak, his fingers curling tightly over the shelf he leaned around.

"You feel?" Talise sat up in her chair, leaning forward and propping her arms on the table, her eyes focused and intent on Valissa, watching her face as she spoke.

The mage sighed, picking at a small tear in one of the pages of her notes, her fingers worrying the tear until it started to lengthen across the corner of the page, "Like my life is wasting away. Finding better ways to heal people would bring so much good to the world. But if this is all I do, I can't help but think my life would be empty. Somehow."

"Why do you think I asked the Inquisitor to judge me? I have known nothing but death and destruction for years." Talise's dark hair shifts about her face as she nods in agreement, meeting Valissia's gaze with a compassionate look in her own eyes.

Valissia heaves a sigh, continuing to worry at the tear in the parchment in front of her, "I'm so sorry, prattling on about my own-"

"Shut up Valissia. You are allowed to talk about your troubles." She paused for a moment, flicking her blue gaze towards Christopher's hiding spot. Talise knew he was there, and continued to speak anyways, "So you think Christopher would change things?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. But I want to find out." Valissia sighed, putting the last of her notes into a tome, tucking them carefully in the back of the book.

Talise added the book she had been reading to the pile sitting on the desk in between the two friends, her fingers tracing designs over the cover for a moment, as if she was considering something, "So find out."

"When? How?" Valissia blinked stormy eyes across the table at her in obvious confusion.

"Now. When he walks over here." Decision made, Talise slides from her spot, her movements as smooth as silk, nodding to Christopher when he emerged from his hiding spot behind the bookshelf. Valissia sucked in a surprised breath, turning pink as she remembered their conversation, her blush darkening to red when she saw him staring at her. Talise was right, he wanted what she did, she saw it in his eyes, burning with need for her.

"I will take my leave. Christopher, I will have no problem killing the Herald of Andraste, should Valissia come to harm. That's my only warning" with a whisper of leather, and the barest hint of footsteps, Talise was gone.

Valissia could do nothing, she was rooted in her chair, her face half buried in her hands, staring up at Christopher from between the tips of her fingers. Her heart was hammering in her ears, making her light-headed, her skin prickled, he came to a stop beside the desk Valissia was sitting at, arms crossed over chest, muscles bulging beneath his shirt

"What exactly did Jordan mean to you?" he slowly leaned down, one hand propped on the desk, the other on an arm of the chair she sat in, until he was eye to eye with her.

"He…" she stammered for a moment, unsure of Christopher's questioning, "He was my friend. We grew up together."

"Nothing more?" his gaze was intense as he studied her, the line of his jaw clenching when he caught scent of her perfume.

"Nothing more?" she frowned, her auburn brows coming together briefly, before she blinked up at him, realization dawning across her features, "You're jealous!"

He nods tightly, leaning down, his fingers curling around the arm of her chair, "I do not wish to be a stand in for a man you cannot have."

"Jordan was a dear friend, someone I trusted and respected. But no, I did not love him. Not like that." Her fingers tuck strands of bright auburn hair back behind a shell-like ear, suddenly self-conscious that she had not pulled her hair up this morning, but had instead come straight to the library to study.

The words were scarcely past her lips before his were on them, his hands curling around her upper arms and hauling her from her chair. She let out a squeak of surprise, stiffening in his arms for a moment, and then the warmth spread through her, melting her against him. Christopher leaned back against the table as she relaxed, tugging her with him as he deepened the kiss, his tongue flicking over the seam of her lips, groaning as hers parted.

Her hands were restless, shifting from gripping the front of his shirt to curling around his shoulders, only to slide back down his chest. She was suddenly greedy feeling, like she had been drowing and could breathe again, her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, wrinkling it as she pulled. He was so strong, and she was so slight, the movement just brought her to him, and his hands gripped her waist, holding her still, as with a groan he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers for a moment as he gulped in a breath.

"Maker… Valissia, you have no idea what you're doing to me."

She dropped her head, hiding her burning cheeks, her entire face in a waterfall of red locks, her forehead nearly brushing his chest, "I imagine the same thing you're doing to me. I can feel my heatbeat in my toes."

He chuckled at her words, tugging her closer for a moment, his fingers sliding to her smooth jaw, and tilting it upwards towards him. She was blushing a deep rose, her skin warm against his fingers, the color bringing out the smattering of freckles across her nose and cheekbones, "You are so beautiful."

Just as she would lean up, to press her lips to his once more, the doors to the library swung open with a loud thump, and a young soldier stepped in, "Herald? There is news from…"

He paused, turning as bright red as Valissia was as he rounded a bookshelf, and found the Herald, with the mage in his arms, "My apologies. I can wait, I'll leave the report with Cullen and…"

"No, I'll see to it now", Christopher sighed, turning and leaning Valissia against the table, before letting her go, one hand trailing through her hair, "This is not over. I'll be back later."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Daughters of the Storm

Talise, followed by Valissia, burst out of the Herald's Rest, flinging the door open with a thwack against the side of the building, the sound of wood meeting stone echoing across the courtyard. Both women ran across the courtyard, ducking in and out of soldiers, merchants, servants, any and all who stood between them and the main gates of Skyhold.

Valissia stopped first, just a step ahead of Talise, skidding in the mud, the hem of her gown soaking up the dirty quickly, but she paid it no mind, her hands pressed to her chest and her storm gray eyes wide. Talise stopped as well, grabbing ahold of the fiery-haired mage's shoulders, her cerulean gaze equally wide.

In front of them, standing confidently in the sunshine, was a woman. Long hair, as long as both of theirs, hung down to her waist in a spill of golden curls, bright emeraldine eyes shone with humor and mischief, surrounded by thick lashes, and her sun-kissed skin fairly glowed as her full lips curled up in a wide smile. A long leather vest brushed the tops of her booted feet, underneath she wore a shirt untied, revealing golden tinted skin, and a pair of leather breeches that clung to her thighs. An instant later, the three of them were wrapped in each other's arms, shouting and laughing and nearly bouncing up and down, almost falling over in the slick mud they stood in.

Down the steps of the keep Cullen walked, at his side the former chevalier, Michel de Chavin, and behind them Varric, the three of them talking about events at Recliffe, and the impact siding with the mages would have. They came to a stop at the sight before them, the women giggling and talking amongst themselves.

"Varric, I assume, since you know Talise and Valissia, you know who that is as well?" Cullen turns to the rogue, an eyebrow lifting at the scene before him.

Varric grins broadly, nodding his head up and down, "Oh yes. This story just got a little more interesting."

"Who is she?" Michel's accented words echoed Cullen's confusion, but his gaze never left the women before him.

Varric slipped between the two warriors, watching as the women clung to each other, even through their laughter, "That is Amelia Bennet. The Daughters of the Storm have reunited."

"Daughters of the Storm?" Cullen and Michal spoke at the same time, their puzzled gazes meeting and then turning to Varric.

"You know Talise is the daughter of Hale Montgomery. His mercenary band was called the Storm Raiders", Varric smiled as the women parted, and then clung to each other once more, "Valissia is the daughter of their healer. And Amelia is the daughter of Hale's lieutenant. The girls grew up together, and by the time I met them, they were calling themselves that."

"And they are all beautiful." Michel cannot help the sigh that escapes him, but he turns to Cullen, bowing slightly, "My apologies Commander."

"If I spent every waking moment of the day angry at men who found Talise beautiful, I would be angry all day long", Cullen nods back at Michel, waving away any insult.

"What is she like, Varric?" The Orlesian chevalier turned back to Varric, although his steely blue gaze was focused on the blonde in front of him, watching as she clung to the other woman with her.

"If Talise is quiet, calm, watching from the shadows, and Valissia is intense and focused upon her work… then Amelia is the wild one. Impetuous, bold, you could say a little rash", Varric stepped in between the two warriors, walking down the stairs, "And if you will excuse me, I'm going to say hello."

"Varric!" Amelia was nearly bouncing up and down as she saw the dwarf, running to him, her boots making splashes in the mud as she did, until she nearly bowled him over. He leaned into her hug, squeezing her until she squeaked. When he leaned back, she looked over his head and her bright spring gaze widened as she saw Cullen and Michel, "Did the Inquisition invite the most attractive men in all of Thedas here?"

Varric laughs, waving up at Cullen and Michael, "The one with the fur is Cullen."

"Ahhhh.. Talise's Cullen." Amelia nods with a knowing look at the tall, armor-clad commander, "I see the attraction."

Varric snorted at her words, nodding in agreement, "Yes, although she will insist he isn't her anything."

"And the one on the right?" she leaned back enough to look down at Varric, lifting an eyebrow at him, curiousity and a sudden rush of attraction gleaming in her eyes.

"Michel de Chevin."

"Oh Maker. He's Orlesian?" Amelia sighed,

"He is. A former chevalier. There was some… trouble in Orlais." Varric nodded, taking the storm mage in. Her hair was longer, hanging well past the middle of her back, her skin was sun-kissed, but the sparkle in her eyes, the longing for life itself, was still there.

That sparkling gaze had not moved from Michel, she stared at him openly, not hiding behind the fan of her lashes, like so many women would have done, "Isn't there always. And am I to understand that the Herald of Andraste has been charmed by Valissia?"

"Yes, that is moving slightly faster than Talise and Cullen." The golden-haired dwarf nods with a grin, winking at Valissia as he speaks.

"Well of course. Talise is reckless with her work, but never with her heart." With a snort, Amelia nods, finally taking her eyes off Michel and looking back towards Talise, who has turned bright pink at Amelia's words.

"More accurate words have never been stated, my dear."

Christopher stepped from the main doors of the keep, assuring Josephine that he would speak to the ambassadors from Orlais in the afternoon, as soon as he talked to Cullen about the soldiers. He frowned as he saw Cullen, along with Michel, standing on the steps, their backs to him. He walked down the steps to them, joining the two warriors, a brow arching at the scene before him.

Valissia was mud-spattered. His impeccably dressed, fiery mage, was splattered with mud. Talise had come out of the shadows, and was grinning, and Varric had his arm wrapped around the waist of a blonde. She was the tallest of the three, but not much more than half a head taller than Talise. And judging from how Valissia had her head propped on the blonde's shoulder, they knew each other.

"Who is that?" His eyes were wide with wonder, somehow the woman standing with Talise and Valissia had brought out a side to both of them he had never seen.

"Apparently the three most beautiful women in Thedas all know each other" Michel replied, his eyes ever never leaving the Amelia, she seemed to almost sparkle in the sunshine, "That is one of their friends. Amelia."

"That is Amelia? Valissia has mentioned writing a friend from home, but I expected", Christopher lifted one shoulder in a shrug, looking over at Cullen, "I don't know… taller."

Cullen nodded, when he had spoken to Talise of her family and friends, she had mentioned Amelia, "Talise speaks of her as a force of nature."

"So that means she must be tall? Michel frowned in confusion, gesturing down to the women, "Talise is tiny, everyone is tall to her."

Cullen and Christopher laughed in agreement. Varric pulled away from the girls, turning towards the men on the stairs to the keep in a sweeping gesture, "Shall we introduce Amelia?"

"Oh yes please. I want to meet this chevalier. I hear the Orlesians do this wicked thing with their tongue", Amelia grinned, linking her arms with Valissia, and then Talise, giggling as both of the women blushed red. They walked up the gray stone steps, neatly repaired, until they stood in a wide circle of stone, more stairs going up to the main doors of the keep.

"Gentlemen, may I present, Amelia Bennett. The trifecta is completed", Varric chuckled, as he walked up the steps, stopping in front of the three men, his gaze on Michel. The Orlesian chevalier was staring at Amelia as she came up the steps, his cool, almost icy blue gaze wide, "Amelia, this is Christopher Trevelyan, Herald and Inquisitor, Cullen Rutherford, our Commander, and this is Michel de Chavin,"

Talise and Valissia both hung back slightly, and Amelia tugged them forward as she came up the steps, grinning wickedly at her friends. Once in front of the group of men on the steps, she bowed slightly, "It is an honor Your Worship. Commander Rutherford, Talise has spoken highly of you in her letters. And Michel, your prowess in battle is legendary."

Talise visibly relaxed, her fear of being embarrassed gone, and Valissia sighed in relief as Amelia made a nearly perfect introduction. Michel moved first, holding out his hand, and Amelia let go of Valissia, expecting to shake his hand; instead he turned her hand, leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. Amelia blinked several times in rapid succession, her cheekbones darkening in a blush as she looked at the chevalier.

"It is an honor Amelia. You've brought a sudden sparkle to the Inquisition", he smiled at her, over the back of her hand, into her wide, green eyes, his Orleasian accent thickening his words.

"Th—Thank you." Uncharacteristically at a loss for words, she merely stared up at Michel, until Valissia, still standing beside her, elbowed her in the ribs. Still casting glances at Michel, she shook hands with Cullen, and had her knuckles kissed by Christopher. The group talked for a few moments, before the three warriors were pulled away by various tasks. Talise cast a longing look at Cullen's broad shoulders and back as he retreated to his quarters above the portcullis; Valissia hung onto Christopher's fingers for as long as she could, and Amelia watched Michel retreat to the training yards, a smirk lifting the corners of her lips.

Later, the Daughters of the Storm stood in the nearly rebuilt war room. A few windows needed to be repaired, but the table had been installed, maps spread out over it. Markers were spread out over it, a few daggers were thrust into it in places. Amelia stood over the table, looking down at the map, idly spinning a marker in her nimble fingers as her emeraldine gaze studied the markers.

"So, this Corypheus, we know next to nothing about him." She began, lifting her gaze to Talise for a moment, "Nothing from your contacts?"

Talise shook her head no, her eyes locked onto Kirkwall on the map, "Nothing. He seems to have crawled up out of the ground overnight. What about you?"

"Nothing. I heard nothing until word reached us the explosion at the Conclave and the loss of Haven. Which that got to me simultaneously." Amelia set the marker down, and then picked it back up, twirling it between her fingers as an outlet for her energy.

"What are we going to do?" Valissia's voice broke, tears welling in her storm gray eyes.

"Shhh.. it's going to be alright", Talise curled an arm around her, pulling the redhead to one shoulder.

"We're not going to cry. Listen, when this is over and this demon thing is cold and dead, and whatever else is going on is done, we will sit down and cry. We'll cry for hours. But right now… right now…" Amelia took a deep trembling breath, her fear getting the best of her for a moment, "Right now, we're going to figure this out."

"We need to plan", Talise spoke the words quietly, motioning to the maps, "Leiliana, the spymaster, has my contacts and agents, she can use them to gain whatever knowledge they have."

"There is a Tevinter here, he practices magic that I'm not… used to" Valissia wiped the tears from her eyes, making a valiant effort to straight her shoulders, "But I know you've been all over the world, and you're not a healer. I think the two of you could come up with a plan. There's also an elf mage and the leader of Val Royeaux's circle is here as well."

"I think I'll take my chances with either the Tevinter or the elf. It's been too long since I played the game, and I was always bad at it." Amelia's nose wrinkles at the mention of Val Royeaux.

The other two laugh at her words, nodding in agreement.

"Not to change the subject, but we need to talk Talise", Amelia set the marker she was holding down firmly on the table, "What is this nonsense about you presenting yourself for Judgment to the Herald?"

In all the time she had been here, no one had openly spoken about the events that took place the morning Talise joined the Inquisition. Her grief over her brother's death had left a scar on her, darkening her eyes with pain, and no one seemed to want to make it worse. Amelia's question brought all her emotions to the surface, and Talise shifted, unable to look at the storm mage.

"I've done a lot of bad things in my life Amelia." The words were spoken to the map on the table, Talise's gaze veiled through her lashes.

"HmmMmm. Many of us have." Amelia nodded, leaning against the war table and folding her arms over her chest, her concerned gaze focused on Talise.

"And… and… Jordan's death was my fault." Her summer bright gaze dropped to the war table, and trembling fingers reached out, touching the dagger stuck through the Haven on the map.

"How exactly? Did you blow up the Conclave and not tell anyone?" as she spoke, Amelia lifted her gaze to Valissia, arching an eyebrow at the spirit mage.

The answer was small, quietly whispered, and the assassin did not move as she spoke the words to the war table, "No."

"Did you set this darkspawn loose in the world?"

"No".

"Then how exactly is his death any of your fault?"

"He paid the price for all of what I've done."

"No. Oh no Talise, you stop believing that bullshit right this instant." Amelia flicks her gaze, dark with anger, to Valissia, "And have you talked to her about this?"

"She didn't want to talk about it." Valissia shrugged, suddenly unable to meet Amelia's gaze. The note of anger creeping into the storm mage's voice was also shining in her eyes.

"She never wants to talk about anything. Talise is a walking, talking, breathing secret. You have to force information out of her." She had to grit her teeth, grinding them together until her jaw ached, to keep from yelling suddenly. Anger at herself, at her friends, at the entire world, rose, threatening to swamp her emotions.

"He left the royal guard because he could not take lying to Alistair anymore. After I left the proof of the rebellion among the nobles with Alistair…" still Talise stared at the map, her gaze locked onto Haven. Where her world had exploded.

"You did a good thing. You saw to it that the one man who needed the information got it. How is that a bad thing?" Amelia reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose with her fingers, thick lashes obscuring her gaze, while she kept her breathing slow and measured.

The answer hung in the air for moments, Talise's emotions slowly being tugged out of the shadows. She blinked back a rush of tears, keeping them out of her shining cerulean gaze, but just barely, "Because he didn't tell Alistair who I was."

"Did Alistair ever come out and ask Jordan if he knew you were the Ghost of Ferelden?", Amelia frowned, trying to keep her anger at bay, while at the same time trying to understand Talise's feelings.

"No".

"Then Jordan wasn't lying. And if it was his guilt at this supposed lie to Alistair that drove him to Haven, that was his burden to bear. Not yours."

"I…"

"Unless you're going to say 'I was wrong, you are right' do not say anything."

"I know you're right. But…"

Amelia stalks back to Talise, gripping her by the shoulders and leaning down until she is nose to nose with the shorter woman, "Listen to me. You can grieve for your brother. I grieve for your brother. But do not take his burdens on. You were born to be who you are, right this instant. And that includes a famous assassin. If you weren't good at it, you'd be dead."

"That is a very strange thing to say." Talise meets her gaze, blue and green colliding in a clash of color and emotions, her voice stronger now, although it wobbles still a bit.

"It's the truth though. Your skills have kept you alive. Helped you become who you are, and you are going to help topple a darkpawn the likes of which we have never seen." Her anger dissipating as quickly as it had come, Amelia pulled Talise to her, curling her arms around Talise's thin back.

"You believe that?" the words were muffled against Amelia's shoulder, as Talise buried her face, sniffling back tears.

Amelia sighed, gritting her teeth in frustration, her emeraldine eyes dark with anger, "We don't have time for your crisis. We don't have time for Valissia to be worrying about her hair or how muddy her clothes are going to get either. We need to get a plan together. A solid plan of how we are, separately and together, going to help the Inquisition. Because if we don't, the whole world will fall."

"You're right" Valissia sighs, leaning against Talise's back.

"So start with this… our skills, our contacts, our knowledge, everything we have we have to give to the Inquisition. It is going to take everything to defeat this monster", Amelia squared her shoulders, before moving to the doors of the war room, and tugging them open with enough force for one to crash into the wall, "But we're going to save this world. Or die trying."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Orlesian Chocolate

Several mornings after Amelia's tumultuous arrival, Talise wandered through the hallways of the keep, staying away from the bedrooms and barracks, but making her way through common areas, she was standing in the kitchen, stuffing a pastry into her mouth when Leiliana stepped behind her. No one had been able to sneak up on the assassin, but now Leiliana watched as Talise froze, half the pastry in her hand, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

Across the courtyard, Cullen was practicing with some soldiers, leading them through a series of exercises, wooden practice swords clanking against each other as the soldiers sparred. The Commander moved between them, adjusting the grip one soldier had, the angle another blocked, until the moves were precise. As Leiliana watched, Talise swallowed, her eyes wide as she looked at Cullen, a blush starting to form on the tops of her cheeks; but the Nightingale noticed something else, Talise had given no notice she had heard footsteps behind her. There was no telltale twitch of her head in the direction of the sound, she did not look behind her, did not shift her weight in anticipation. Other than swallowing what looked to be a huge bite out of the pastry, Talise had not moved.

Leiliani knew two things in that moment, Talise loved sweets, and something was stirring between her and Cullen. A smile lifted the spymaster's lips, and she deliberately brushed against a bowl, making it clatter on the table, announcing her presence. Talise's shoulder jerked, before she turned, masking her surprise, but not the blush that now bloomed across her cheeks, "It's been a long time since I was caught unawares."

"I'm not sure if it was the pastry that had your attention," Leiliana leaned against the counter Talise was at, grinning in triumph, "Or something else. Is the practice in the courtyard really that interesting?"

Sooty lashes covered Talise's gaze for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes at Leiliana, "Either you're deliberately being dumb, or you are blind."

"Blind?"

"How have you missed that?" The hand still holding the rest of the pastry lifted, pointing out the window towards Cullen.

"The Commander? I speak with him every day. I work with him. He is an admirable man", Leiliana kept her expression surprised, although she had to bite her lip to keep from grinning.

"And he doesn't sleep well. He is tired and overworked and…" the words burst out from Talise, surprising her. For years she had rarely talked to anyone except her brother or Valissia, and now she couldn't seem to shut up.

"And?" Leiliana prompted, leaning against the doorway, gloved arms folded over her chest.

"And?" Talise walked out of the kitchen, coming to a stop in the sunlight, staring again, "No one seems to want to ease his burden."

"You want to?" although she spoke the question almost off-handedly, the spymaster was watching Talise, her icy blue gaze noticing the way Talise kept looking towards Cullen.

"Me? What? How would I?" from behind a curtain of dark, shining hair, Talise looked over at Leiliana, using her hair to try and mask the emotions on her face. She was letting her heart get ahead of her, and her burgeoning feelings for Cullen were also unsettled. Coupled with Leiliana's accurate assumptions about her feelings, Talise was left feeling rather exposed.

"If I may make a suggestion. Be who you were less", Leiliana paused, letting the implication of her words sink in, be Ghost less, "And be who you are now more. I know you read well, that you've been helping Valissia with her research. I know you have yet to lose a game of chess to anyone, although I think Cullen lets you win. I know that you like sweets. Be that person."

Understanding gleaming in her bright gaze, shoving her dark hair back away from her face, Talise turned to Leiliana, "You spymaster, are an incurable romantic."

Leiliana nodded, grinning, "And I love shoes. But I have come to talk to you about something besides shoes. And Cullen."

"What is it?" Talise looked away from Cullen, glad for the distraction, the more she looked at him, the more her heart hammered in her chest.

"I was wondering if you would talk to my scouts. I know I told you to be Ghost less, and I mean that with Cullen", Leiliana gestured towards the courtyard, where the Commander was dismissing the soldiers from practice, "But your skills are legendary. I was wondering if you would teach them?"

"I can't… I mean, I didn't think of taking an apprentice.", the words are mumbled around another mouthful of pastry, and she shakes her head no at the words, shock evident in her gaze.

Leiliana could not help but grin at Talise's pastry-stuffed, wide-eyed refusal. She was struck again that Talise, as she was, did not come across as Ghost. She had been much the same, before life had changed, "Oh no no. Not that. They are all talented and skilled. But yours surpass any I've seen, and you could probably teach them more. It would free me to help the Herald."

Talise regarded Leiliana thoughtfully, mulling the idea over in her head, before nodding, "Like Cullen does. Just polish their skills a bit, in a large class, rather than individual training?"

Leiliana nodded, "We would have to come up with a cover story. I trust my scouts to keep your identity secret, but the gossip spreads in this place like wild fire."

"Let's be honest, the rumors have already started. It will not be long until Talise Montgomery and the Ghost of Ferelden are linked," Talise took another bite of pastry, sighing as she did, "These are delicious. I want to eat a basket full."

"Are you alright with that? You've carefully hidden your identity for years, no one seemed to be able to track you down." Leiliana nodded in agreement, taking a pastry for herself, "It always makes my day when the cooks make these."

"Yes. And no. I'm tired of being Ghost. I'm tired of being…" Talise paused, her eyes softening for a moment as she watched Cullen again, "Alone. But bringing together the two parts of my life is disconcerting."

"I understand. If you want to make a cover story, come up with something. Rumors are just that, rumors, and people can speculate all they want about who Ghost is," Leiliana turns, making her way out of the kitchen as servants started to come in, "And remember, just be yourself. With him I mean."

With muttered curses and flushed cheeks, Talise walked into the shadows, heading up the ramparts, and then atop one of the towers, sitting on the stone and letting her legs tangle over the side. Up this high, with views of bright snow and mountains, her head started to clear. She had lived in shadows and secrecy all of her life, more Ghost than Talise; she could count on one hand the number of people that knew her, even fewer than knew who she was.

A little over a month ago, in the court of the Inquisition, she had openly confessed to being the Ghost of Ferelden; Cullen had yelled at Varric, had watched her with those warm, honey and whiskey eyes. At first, he had not believed her, and then, when she expected judgment, he had defended her. She was here because she forgot how to think when she looked into his warm gaze, any reasonable, rational thought escaped her when she looked at him.

The two sides of her life had come together, colliding in an explosion inside of Skyhold, for a moment she was dizzy with nerves, and she leaned against one of the merlons atop the wall, closing her eyes. Soon she would lose the ability to hide, as news of her arrival would spread with the gossip in Skyhold, and she would no longer be a face in the crowd. Several breaths later, she eased back from the edge of the wall, making her way down through a hole in the tower ceiling, and then slipping out through a door.

Finally done for the day, Cullen walked down the hallway, his footsteps echoing against the stone floor. He could not take his office any longer, could not be in that room, cooped up, for another moment. Despite their wins, despite the faint hint of hope in this war, he was perpetually busy.

He saw little more than glimpses of Talise, a flash of her eyes here, the sight of her back retreating there. Rarely had they been in the same room together, and the brief hints of her presence had gotten under his skin. It was infuriating really, to almost ache for a glimpse of her like some school boy with a crush.

As he rounded a corner, he thought about all he had learned about the enigmatic woman. She was skilled in subterfuge, adept at poisons, well-trained in combat, if the practice sessions she had sparred with Leiliana's scouts was any indication. From her time in the library, he knew she could read and write in at least 2 languages, and knew a smattering of elvish, enough to interact with the elves here in Skyhold in their native language. He could not stop the smile that crossed her face as he thought of her, remembering just a few days past, when he had found her in the kitchen, her cheeks puffed out from the cookies she had been eating. On top of everything else, Talise loved sweets.

It was incongruous really, watching a woman feared around the world as an assassin, sit with a mug of milk and a pile of cookies, dunking them like a child. He had the feeling that Talise was emerging from a carefully built shell; and for a moment his heart hurt for the woman she should have been. A carefree woman, who could read and eat cookies whenever she wanted, where ever she wanted.

He came to a stop outside one of the common rooms, where Christopher leaned against the wall across from the doorway, holding a small box and a book. The Herald looked up, and smiled, gesturing with the box towards the room, "Come for a lesson?"

"Lesson?"

"Leiliana has asked Talise to teach her scouts. She has been training with them, but also teaching them. It's interesting, to see things from the perspective of someone like her."

"There isn't anyone like her." Cullen spoke the words before he could stop himself, raking a hand through his hair when he realized what his words had revealed.

"True. But there isn't anyone like Valissia either. Or Leiliana. Or Cassandra. Or you. We are all each unique, pieces in a puzzle."

"That is surprisingly deep."

"Here, when she finishes up, give her the box." Christopher dodged the comment, and pointed towards Talise, "She has a thing for sweets, and I found these in a shipment. Orlesian chocolate."

"And the book?"

"That's personal" Christopher grinned, following Valissia as she slipped out of the room. The mage had attended every lesson Talise had taught, and several of the sparring sessions. Out of loyalty to her friend, but also keen to learn, she knew better how to construct wards, how to spot a spy, when Talise explained her own methods.

Cullen found himself standing in the hallway, holding a box of chocolate, as Talise sat on the table in the middle of the room, looking at her notes. She never stood at a lecturn, preferring to sit in a circle and talk to those who were listening, however she sat on a table, or a tall bar stool, so she could see everyone. The shirt she wore was distracting, thin silk, with a large keyhole cut into the back, revealing smooth skin, the front had a smaller keyhole, just flirting with her cleavage, the soft skin that made Cullen's mouth water as he stared at it.

A scout spoke from one side of the room, slouching comfortably in a chair, "How do you know who the real threat is?"

"You mean who the good ones are and who is just bragging?" Talise looked over at him, her brow lifting in question

"That too."

"The good ones don't talk. You don't hear Leiliana boasting of her work do you?" as several people in the room nodded in agreement, Talise pressed on, her booted feet swinging off the side of the table as she spoke, "We don't brag. You don't become one of us for the glory. If someone is bragging about their accomplishments, or all their contacts, or about all the jobs they've worked, you can expect one of two things. They're lying; or they're talking to catch your attention, and when you're distracted, someone else will make their move."

Several of Leiliana's scouts nodded in vigorous agreement, and Talise took a moment to talk about how to blend in better, explaining how to create distractions, how to use crowds to blend in, when the best time of day to execute a mission was. Cullen was a little shocked to find out that Talise did not work in the dead of night, but rather just before sunrise, when the night guards were tired, and their replacements not on shift yet; and the shadows still deep enough to hide in. As scouts trickled out of the room, he nodded to them, but stayed where he was, booted feet crossed at the ankle, leaning against the wall.

Talise looked up her from her notes, her bright, swirling gaze catching Cullen's, and instantly her cheeks pinkened. She slid off the table, the leather pants she wore creaking slightly, the matching boots, in black, thudding softly on the carpet as she landed, "Commander. I didn't expect such an impressive audience this evening."

He was blushing, stammering for a moment, his fingers clutching the box before he recovered, "I am sorry to say I missed your lesson."

"It wasn't too indepth today. Just talking about how to better hide in plain sight. Not wearing perfume, skipping flashy clothes, basic stuff", she crossed the room, and then stepped into the hallway, stopping in front of him.

"Yet… You're wearing perfume" Cullen took a deep breath, catching a teasing hint of some light, floral, as she stood before him.

"We might make a rogue out of you yet" she grinned up at him, through her blush, "But I meant more when you are working. What you do on your time off is yours."

One gloved hand lifted from the box he was wearing, and gestured to the more relaxed clothes she wore, "I see. So you wear perfume and silk shirts when you're not working?"

"And read. And eat too many sweets." Summer bright gaze sparkling with humor, Talise nodded up at him, agreeing with his words.

She had provided him with an opening, he realized, and he held the box out, "Here, Orlesian chocolate, it came in on the last shipment."

"Chocolate?" Talise perked, looking down at the box, reaching for the top of the box even as Cullen held it.

"MmmHmmm." He nodded, letting the assassin flip the top of the box open, grinning when she sighed at the sight of the chocolate, nestled in pieces of thin wax paper.

Talise had a piece of it in her mouth before Cullen could react, and she heaved a sigh, letting the smooth candy melt on her tongue, her eyes closing in pleasure.

At the sound, Cullen sucked in a breath, but he nearly lost his grip on the box at the look on face, eyes closed, pleasure relaxing her finely boned features. She was gorgeous, and that face looked more like a woman in an intimate embrace, than a woman eating chocolate. He must has groaned, must had stammered out a response, because her eyes flicked open and she looked up at him, swallowing the bite of candy.

"That is the best chocolate in the world." She reached gently into the box, and picked up a piece, holding it out for him. "Here."

He had no idea what possessed him, but suddenly he found himself tugging a glove off with his teeth, before taking the offered candy from her. She was right, it was good chocolate, melting slowly, smoothly, and he sighed.

Talise stared up at him, watching him relax, for just a moment, and she was tempted to feed him more, to insist he stand in the hallway and eat the entire box. Or maybe drag him to the quiet of the library, where he could rest. But suddenly she was inspired, and she took the box from him, "I'm going to go up to the ramparts and eat chocolate. The views are incredible there."

Cullen blinked, staring in her eyes had muddled his head and he couldn't think for a moment, "You are?"

"Yep" Talise turned, walking down the hallway, her hips gently swaying back and forth, "You coming, or do you have important work to do?"

"I…" He was torn. There was a stack of paperwork to be seen to in his office, reports that he had to read, commands to be issued. But he found himself following her, "No. Nothing that can not wait."

As Cullen turned the corner and walked up towards the ramparts, Leiliana slid around the corner, stepping out of a shadow, and grinned to herself. Slowly but surely Cullen and Talise were coming together

Half of the chocolate was gone. The box was sitting on the stone wall of the rampart, and Talise leaned beside it, her eyes taking in the view. The sun was almost gone, the valley below dark, but the sky overhead was streaked with red and orange, the colors slowly giving way to a deep velvety blue sky. It was her favorite time of day.

"Cullen", She turned to him as she spoke, and suddenly all the words stopped in her throat. He was staring at her, less than an arm's length from her. They had been talking companionably, revealing bits and pieces of themselves, carefully stepping around the burning tension between them.

But it had grown until the air was thick with it. One of her slender hands reached for his, and as soon as her fingers brushed his, he moved. She moved at the same time, turning to him, stepping toward him, as he pulled her to him, and her breath whooshed out of her lungs, her lips parting in surprise. She didn't get a word out, he slid one hand into her hair, the other around her waist, and his lips were on hers.

It was like getting struck by lightning. Amelia had shocked her with a spell once, that was what it felt like. Her skin was tingling, her hands lifting to curl around his neck, tugging him to her, even as her lips parted beneath his. She couldn't get close enough, couldn't get more, and she whimpered, tightening her hold on his neck, which lifted her to toes.

Cullen groaned, turning her until she was pressed to the wall of the rampart, lifting her slightly and pinning her there with his weight. His hand moved from her hair to gently cradle her face, his lips pressing to hers again and again, until hers parted, and he deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing against hers. He groaned again, breaking the kiss and heaving a breath into his lungs.

"Stop me. You have to stop me", he whispered the words into Talise's hair, shivering in her arms, his hips pressing against hers.

It took her several moments, several deep breaths, to understand what he was saying, "Stop you? Why?"

"Because I want too much. I want too much from you, I want you too much", he ground out the words, his hands sliding to her hair and tightening in it for a moment.

"Is that a bad thing?" Her fingers brushed against the front of his surcoat, curling into the fur that trimmed the top of it.

Once more he pressed his lips to hers, rubbing his tongue against hers in a provocative motion until he broke the kiss to heave a breath into his lungs, "I will end up taking you here and now. You have to stop me."

His words sent a jolt through Talise's body, and she shook her head at his words, her arms sliding up around his neck again, her fingers sinking deeply into the furs he wore, tugging him to her. Cullen found her mouth again, and their kiss grew passionate, hotter, deeper. He managed to pull her to him, and turn them towards his office, managed to get them two steps, when voices emerged from a hallway that led to the ramparts.

"Do you think anyone will be up here?", the Herald's voice carried up the stairs, laughter in his words.

"If Talise is up here she will hear us, and she'll be gone before-" Valissia stopped abruptly, jolting forward when Christopher bumped into her from behind.

"Oof. What? Why did you stop?" He had to put one calloused hand out on the top of a merlon to keep himself from falling further into Valissia, and knocking her small form over completely.

Valissia did not speak a word, instead she stared at the scene in front of her. Talise was wrapped in Cullen's arms, her face buried in the fur he wore, his hands still tangled in her long locks, their legs entwined enough it was a miracle they could walk.

One small hand lifted, and Valissia pressed it to her burning cheek, which flushed in embarrassment. It was obvious what Cullen and Talise had been doing, and just as obvious as what her and Christopher had been about to be doing, "Oh my. I am so sorry. Please forgive me."

"It appears the ramparts are a popular place to come for a… walk", Christopher could not help the smirk that curled his lips, he met the Commander's eyes over the top of both women's head with an approving nod. Cullen's cheeks flushed, but he maintained his grip on Talise, and met Christopher's grin with one of his own.

"Valissia. I love you with all my heart. But I am going to murder you in your sleep" Talise's voice was shaky, she was quivering with denied passion, the blood roaring in her veins still.

"There's nothing saying you can't finish. I believe his office is just over that way" Christopher grinned, one arm sneaking around Valissia's waist and pulling her back to him, "We'll head back to the library. To do some research."

"Dead. You are so dead." Talise gritted the words out, even though she hadn't moved, before lifting her face towards Cullen. The Commander was blushing, taking several tries to get words out, but he still held her secure against him, and she grinned when she saw him look towards his office.

"I want this. More than anything", Cullen sighed, tangling his hands in her hair once more, it was like thick, heavy silk, "But you deserve better."

"What do you mean?" A tremble wracked Talise's frame, and she curled her fingers into his surcoat.

"You deserve roses. All kinds of flowers. Poetry. Books and long walks", he ran one hand down her back slowly, pressing her closer to him.

She fought to keep the pout of her voice, her body still shaking with desire, "What if I don't want that?"

He groaned at her words, his gloves fingers curling into her shirt for a moment as he struggles for control,"Let me do this right, please?"

She sighed, leaning her forehead to rest against his chest, the chestplate he wore cooling her cheeks, "If you insist on it."

"I do Talise. You're worth it." He made no move to kiss her again, not trusting himself. But he also made no move to part from her either, standing with her in the fading twilight for a few more minutes, giving himself some time with her before they parted.

In the cool of morning, Talise sat outside, her gear spread around her. Knives, her short sword and dagger, the leather leggings she wore, the leather vest and black shirt, the brace of throwing knives she wrapped around one thigh, more stiletto knives than should be possible to hide on one person, and all various manner of lock picking gear. Beside her a bucket sat with hot, steaming water, several bars of soap, and oils for the leather and metal, along with a pile of rags.

"Good morning little love", Valissia grinned at the assassin, knowing full well that Talise had tossed and turned all night long. So had she, truth be told, but she could not resist pestering her dearest friend.

"I told you, I'm going to kill you. But I am going to do it with clean gear", Talise gritted her teeth at Valissia's voice, wiping down her short sword one one final time, leaving it gleaming in the morning light.

"I'm so sorry to have interrupted your interlude. But I am so glad it was happening. At last." Valissia grinned, sitting on a small stood next to Talise, "I thought it was going to take an act of the Maker to push you two together."

"No divine intervention needed. Just chocolate", Talise's scowl turned into a grin as she looked at her friend, her sharp gaze taking in a small, light bruise on the mage's throat, "It seems like you had fun last night as well."

"What do you mean?" Valissia frowned at Talise's smirk.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Talise touched the love bite on Valissia's neck, smirking when the mage squeaked in surprise and then blushed.

"I… I mean… we…" stuttering with embarrassment, Valissia sat on a nearby stool, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Her bright gaze did not lift from her sword as she smirked, "Is it possible? Is the mage who never stops talking at a loss for words?"

"He was a perfect gentlemen", unable to meet her friend's gaze, Valissia buried her face in her hands, her blushing features visible through her fingers.

"Yeah, that love bite is evidence of that", Talise snorted in response, eyeing her sword critically before sliding it back into it's sheath.

A wicked grin lifted the corner of Valissia's mouth, "And what about Cullen?"

"We did nothing more." At the mage's skeptical look, Talise continued, "He wants to court me. Do things right he says."

"Oh. Oh. That is so utterly romantic." Valissia sighs, pressing a slim hand to her heart, lost in the idea of Cullen courting Talise.

"I don't need courting." The long night showed on Talise's face, dark circles under her sky touched gaze gave away her lack of sleep, and she could not keep the pout from her words.

"Yes. Yes you do." Tentatively, Valissia reached for a throwing knife, spinning it gingerly in her fingers.

Talise shakes her head no at Valissia's words, leaning back on her elbows and sighing, "No. I don't. I don't care where we are together, just that we are together. I want him so much it hurts."

"Talise, listen to me. You've lived like a ghost for years. I've never seen you serious with a man. I've never seen a man want you, and not whomever you were pretending to be for a job." Putting down the throwing knife, Valissia leans forward, cupping Talise's face in her hands.

"I've never actually-" her cheeks flushed crimson as Talise trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Valissia's auburn locked shifted as she nodded in agreement, "I know you've never seduced anyone for a job. Just flirted enough to get the job done."

"And what about you? You lived in fear of the Templars for years, traveled to avoid them, you've been locked in libraries and museums all of your life. You've never been courted either." Sighing, Talise leaned her forehead against the mage's, her thickly lashed gaze falling shut.

"You're right." Valissia sighed, leaning back against Talise, "We both need this Talise. Just enjoy it."

Cullen stood across the courtyard, near where the soldiers practiced, watching the scene unfold before him. He had come down to practice early this morning, after a night spent getting less sleep than usual. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her, felt her, tasted her kiss, and he gave up on sleep before the sun was up. Talise sat in the shadows, gear and her leather armor spread out around her; he frowned as he saw how little the armor would truly protect her, it was something he needed to speak to her about.

"Good morning Commander Rutherford", Talise's lips curved into a cheeky smirk as she looked up at him. Her eyes were rimmed by dark circles, and her skin was slightly paler than usual, proof she had endured little sleep. But her lips were swollen, and there was a tell-tale scrape of stubble burn on her jawline, proof of his attentions last night.

"I think we're past formality, don't you?" he lifted a golden brow at her, leaning against the wall behind her. His honey warm gaze took in the impressive array of weapons that surrounded Talise, all cleaned, and carefully tucked back into sheaths, "How many knives does one woman need?"

"An outrageous amount Commander", Valissia grinned from her spot on a stool, handing Talise back a dagger.

"Enough to get the job done. Some of us don't walk around with a huge…. Sword all day long", careful not to meet his gaze, Talise tucked the dagger into a sheath, a wicked gleam in her sky touched eyes.

"What? I mean…." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck with one gloved hand, taking a deep breath. When Talise's eyes flicked to his, he saw the playful challenge in them, and he met her challenge with a retort of his own, "And I would say it's big enough to get the job done. Too big and it's unwieldly to use properly."

Talise leaned back on her elbows, looking over her shoulder and up at Cullen, he was tall enough, and she was so short, that she got faintly dizzy when she looked up at him. Or perhaps it was her heart, that was suddenly pounding in her ears.

"And that is my cue. Excuse me, both of you" her cheeks hot in a blush, Valissia slipped from the stool she sat on, and headed towards the mage tower, ducking around a few practicing soldiers.

"Have a good day little love!" Talise's voice sang out over the courtyard, and she grinned when Valissia turned, blowing her a kiss.

"You have a deep friendship" distracted from their flirting, Cullen watched Talise press a kiss to her slender fingertips, and then flick it off with her other hand, towards the mage. He smiled at the assassin's display of affection, feeling his heart tug as she did it.

"I have never not known Talise, we grew up together", Talise started to pack up her gear, slipping everything into a well-worth black pack.

"Where did you go grow up?" while she packed, Cullen leaned back against the wall behind him, his amber gaze tracing over Talise as she moved.

"No one has ever asked me that before" She blinks, realization of how little she has ever revealed striking her.

Too late, he realized that she might not be comfortable with his questions, and he mentally cursed himself as he offered her a hand, "If you're not comfortable telling me."

She reached up for his hand, curling her fingers around it and sliding her feet beneath her, "No no, it's not that. It's just that I've never actually talked about my childhood."

He pulled her to her feet as soon as she took his hand, and then held onto it, unwilling to let go of her. Even through his gloves he would feel her hands, feel how delicate her fingers were, "I know your parents are gone, if it's too painful to talk about."

"Near Highever." she paused, watching as her fingers linked with Cullen's, "We lived there, and my father and his group traveled. When I got older I used to beg him to take me with him."

"Why would you want to travel with a mercenary?" He frowned at he thought, eyebrows drawing together over his warm honey gaze.

Talise grinned, lifting one shoulder in a shrug, "I was young, it seemed like it was so much fun to live free like he did."

"He was supposed to be a giant of a man, if the stories are to be believed."

"He was very tall. So was Jordan. My mother was short."

"And yet, you're…"

"Pocket sized?"

Cullen laughed then, shaking his head at Talise's quip, "That's quite a way of putting it."

"Jordan and my Dad used to tease me about it. I've always been small. Dad used to call me his little love. When he died, Jordan picked it up."

"And now all of Skyhold calls you that."

Talise blushed at his words, feeling even the top curve of her ears flood with warmth, "It's not exactly fearsome, is it?"

"You are not exactly fearsome", realizing what he could have said could be taken as an insult, Cullen stuttered for a moment, sighing and rubbing the back of his neck once more, "I… I didn't mean that like it sounded."

"It's part of what makes me good, no one suspects that this" Talise gestures down the front of herself with her free hand, "Is Ghost."

"I know nothing about being stealthy."

"No, you're the man with a hammer for whom everything is a nail" she grins impudently up at him, giggling when he heaves a sigh, "That is probably the most accurate description of you I have ever heard."

"Josephine does have a way with words" he admitted, smiling down at her. Despite the dark circles around his eyes, the almost ever present tiredness, he felt more relaxed and at ease than he had in awhile. Since the last time they played chess, he realized with a jolt.

"You look tired this morning. Is everything alright?"

"Yes.. I… uhh.." he blushed at her scrutiny, his gaze not quite meeting her own, "Didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Too restless?"

"I wouldn't call it restless…"

"Can I admit something?"

"Of course Talise, you can tell me anything",

"I didn't sleep at all last night. I kept wanting to go back up to your tower. I was restless, and uncomfortable, and I finally ended up reading one of Valissia's dry books on healing spells. They're so boring they always put me to sleep" her cheeks were burning when she finished speaking, and she kept her gaze focused firmly on their fingers.

"Talise" he ground her name out, his gaze pinching shut at her admission. He took several deep breaths, feeling his blood heat her words. Letting her slip through his fingers last night had been one of the most difficult things he had ever done, and left alone in his tower he had given in to his desires, stroking himself until he was calling her name when his release took him.

"Should I have kept that to myself?"

"No. I told you can you tell me anything. I got no sleep last night because I was thinking of you."

Her cheeks flushed hot at his words, and she lifted her chin to look up at him, her teeth sinking into her lip as she did so, "Every time I fell asleep, I was back in your arms again. It was torture Cullen."

At her whimper, his fingers tightened around hers, and he lifted their entwined hands, pulling her arm up his chest and around his neck, "I tasted your kisses all night long."

"You mean the chocolate?", she breathed the words out, leaning into his frame as he pulled her arm around his neck.

"No Talise, you. Although I will never be able to eat chocolate and not think about you", he chuckled at her words, his free hand cupping her cheek. For a second his lips hovered above hers, waiting for her to make the final move. He groaned when she did, rising to her toes and pressing her lips to his; he was lost when her lips parted beneath his, licking at his lower lip with the barest touch, and his fingers, holding her hand on his shoulder, tightened around hers.

Remembering where they were, she broke the kiss, heaving a sigh and leaning backwards, away from him, "We probably have an audience."

"They need something to gossip about." The pack Talise was holding was dropped as Cullen slid his hands around her waist, tugging him to her in one smooth motion, his lips pressing into hers.

Christopher and Cassandra, discussing a report, stopped on the edge of the courtyard, watching Cullen and Talise. Cassandra blushed, but grinned, and walked back up the stairs to the rampart, "I think I will just leave these on the Commander's desk."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: No Armor

He should be asleep. The last few days had been more exhausting than usual, with reports of more and more Venatori attacks filtering in. And now, in the darkest part of night, he should be upstairs, trying to get some rest.

Instead, Cullen sat before his desk, reading and rereading the reports spread out across it. Gritty eyed from lack of sleep, his back and knees aching, he tossed the last report onto his desk, uncaring about the mess spread across it. The last report from Scout Harding had spoken of Venatori presence close to where the Herald and his companions were working; and that was close to where Talise had headed, intent on sniffing out a lead of some kind.

The companions had thundered back in just at sunset, bleeding and hurt, a forward camp had been attacked and they had struggled to fight back. Talise had been seen in the fighting, but had disappeared afterwards, on the hunt of one of the leaders of the Venatori in the area. It was too dark to see any ravens flying in, and instead he had to wait. Restless he pushed up from the desk, almost falling when his knees wobbled, hissing in pain, he slammed one fist into the desk, "Dammit… Talise where are you?"

She limped up the ramparts. Blood dripped off her shirt sleeve, running down the back of her hand and marking her steps in crimson droplets as she made her to Cullen's quarters. Long strands of dark hair clung to her pale cheeks, the rest hung down her back in a damp, limp mess. Before she was at the door, it opened, and Cullen came striding out into night.

"You! Go up to the rookery and see if we have any reports from Talise. Find Captain Rylen, have him ready a search party, if no one had heard from her we are leaving tonight", He was more comfortable barking orders, and that was what he fell back on, unable to simply pace in his office as the night's candles burned lower and lower.

Talise came to a stop on the ramparts, a bruise darkening one eye and spreading to her cheekbone, mottling her skin in shades of blue and purple, her lower lip was swollen and bleeding from a blow, and her fingers twitched as blood dripped from them and onto the stone of the rampart. She said nothing, merely blinked up at Cullen as he stood in the doorway, barking orders while golden candlelight glowed behind him. Her heart stuttered in her chest as he filled the doorway, squeezing painfully, and she blinked back a sudden rush of tears.

"Andraste preserve me", Cullen breathed the words out, as Rylen and Jim had fled to do his orders, all of them had come to a halt, staring at the wounded, bedraggled Talise. Cullen recovered first, issuing more orders, "Ignore that. Go find me a healer, right now!"

A tiny, tremulous smile lifted the corner of her mouth, and she winced as it pulled on the split in her lip, "Have I ever told you how much I hate mages?"

"Now is the not the time for jokes Talise", he ran down the rampart to her, sweeping her off her feet and cradling her form against him, "How badly are you hurt?"

"Most of the blood isn't mine, it makes a mess when you sever an artery", she heaves a sigh, tugging at the sleeve of her shirt, "This is mine though."

In his concern for Talise his aches and pains were forgotten, but his knees reminded him as he lowered her to the desk, and he bit back a groan, "Give me a moment."

"Are you hurt?", she pressed a hand to her arm, her eyes dark with both pain and concern as she looked at him.

He shook his head, his golden tresses more tousled than usual, and dark circles rimmed his warm honey gaze, despite his words to her, "No, it's nothing. You need to be looked at"

"Andraste's tits!", Valissia gasped as she rushed into Cullen's office, followed by Rylen. She was barely dressed, her bright red hair trailing over her back and down her waist, and tangled from sleep, "What happened?"

"Venatori." Talise groaned, flexing her fingers and hissing in pain.

Valissia dropped the bag she had brought, and started digging through it, speaking without lifting her stormy gaze to Cullen, "Pull her shirt off, and whatever she calls armor."

His fingers trembled only slightly as he reached for the leather vest she wore, unlacing it and sliding it from her shoulders. Beneath it she wore just a simple shirt, and that was caked with dirt and streaked with blood, "Maker's breath.. you've got to start wearing armor Talise."

"It makes too much noise. Ow ow ow.." she groaned as she slid out of the vest, her brows drawing together. When Cullen lifted her one arm and then other to tug her shirt off, she whimpered, her face growing pale with pain. Dark blue and black bruises mottled her sides and back, hinting at the damage beneath her skin.

"Rather have them hear you coming than you end up with broken ribs. Again", Valissia muttered, lifting her head from the back, her eyes widening as she saw Talise's side, "Too late. Dammit Talise. What did you do?"

"I figured out who was leading the Venatori group that was nearby. I thought to pay him a visit", holding her hand over the worst of the bruising, she watched Cullen wrap a bandage around the wound on her arm.

"By yourself?", thankful for something to keep him busy, Cullen concentrated on wrapping the bandage around Talise's arm, where a blade had dug deeply into the muscle. His amber eyes were dark with worry and concern, and once the bandage was on, he leaned both hands on the desk, "What were you thinking?"

"That we couldn't lose the opportunity to capture a Venatori agent. He's being interrogated as we speak". With her good arm Talise motioned towards the keep, where the prisoner she had drug back to Skyhold was already being questioned.

"I hope it was worth it." Valissia laid out a few bottles, several with swirling, glowing mixtures in them, before turning to Cullen, "I can heal her. She'll be weak for several days, and while the bones will heal tonight, they won't be fully set for a day or so."

"She gets light-headed after she heals me. Please don't let her bang her head on the desk or something" Talise winces as she takes too deep of a breath, using her free hand to shove her hair out of her eyes.

"I'll be right here until you're done", Cullen stood next to Talise, leaning against the desk, one hand on her back, and one hand beneath Valissia's elbow, prepared to catch either woman.

"Once a templar, always a templar" Valissia smiled at his touch, closing her eyes for a moment. As the spells started to work, the bruises faded from Talise's skin, her face clearing, and the blood that was seeping from under the bandage on her arm slowly stopped. It took longer than Cullen had thought, and by the time she was done, Valissia was swaying on her feet. He guided her to a chair, easing her back into it and then turned to Talise.

It struck him at different times, that the woman he knew was also the feared Ghost of Ferelden. She sat now on his desk, covered in dried blood, holding a hand to her injured ribs, gently pressing and testing the sore spots. Her bruises were gone, but the dark circles around her brilliant blue gaze were almost black.

"Can you make it upstairs?" he nodded towards the ladder that led to his bedroom, such as it was, keeping one hand on Valissia's arm and one hand on her back, to keep the mage from sliding onto the floor,

Talise blinked at him, frowning in confusion, she had expected to take Valissia down to their shared room and stay with the mage, "Yeah, I can. But Valissia can't make it to her room alone."

"I know. And I will take care of that", gently Cullen pulled his hands from Valissia, tipping her face up in his hands, "Can you sit here for a moment?"

When the mage nodded, Cullen turned, striding to the doors to his quarters and pulling them open, a guard jumped at his appearance, and listened carefully at his orders; Valissia was to be escorted to her rooms, and helped with whatever she needed, fresh clothes were to be brought up for Talise, along with hot water and, "Soap. It's probably going to take all the soap we have in Skyhold to get her clean."

A few minutes later Christopher appeared, sighing as he took in Valissia, so exhausted she could not keep her eyes open, as pale as the white sheets they used in the infirmary. Word had trickled down to him that Talise had shown up, and he knelt in front of Valissia, his green eyes dark, "I knew you'd come up here to heal her. How is she?"

"She'll be fine. Sore for a day or so, but fine." Valissia could not keep the tiredness from her voice, and she answered without opening her eyes. Her skin was more pale than usual, almost ashen as she sat in the chair. Christopher moved to pick her up, the muscles in his arm bulging as he lifted the mage from her chair.

"And you? And where is our erstwhile assassin?" The Herald managed, just barely, to keep from laughing when Valissia told him where Talise was, he snorted when he looked at Cullen and found the Commander blushing to the roots of his blonde hair. Carrying Valissia tucked against his chest, Christopher looked at Cullen, "I'll have whatever it was Talise needs sent up. And while you wait… tell her."

Cullen blanched at Christopher's words, his eyes going wide, "No. Not right now."

"No time like the present Commander." As he spoke the words over his shoulder, Christopher slipped through the doors, walking down the ramparts, keeping Valissia pinned to his chest as he did so.

"Tell me what?" Talise's voice filtered down through from the balcony, and although she was tired, she could not keep the curious note out of her words.

Cullen sighed, raking a hand through his hair and staring at the ladder, taking several deep breaths before walking to it and climbing up. As his head cleared the top of the ladder, he saw Talise, dressed in one of his cast-off shirts, sliding her leggings off her legs and dropped them a pile beside her boots, "My clean shirts are in the chest, I've worn that one."

"I know. I don't like how your clean shirts smell", she grinned at him, scooting on the bed until she leaned against the headboard.

"Talise, be careful, you'll reinjure yourself." A frown married his face at her movements, while he worked to tug off his armor.

She stretched her injured arm, testing it already, her brow knitting together as it throbbed with pain at her movements, "Your concern is endearing. And please stop frowning"

"I always frown." He stood at the side of the bed, frowning even as they spoke of it, opening his mouth to stop her when she tried to move her injured arm, and then closing it with a deeper frown.

"And it's always distracting. And you're not going to distract me from answering your question by brooding and frowning". She moves to the edge of the bed, sitting on the edge in front of where he stands, and looking up at him, her bright eyes intense and focused, "What was Christopher talking about?"

"I quit…." He heaved a sigh, dropping his forehead into his palm, "I quit taking lyrium."

Talise nodded her head in understanding, her gaze not leaving his face, even as his palm covered it, "That explains it then."

"Explains what?" Over his gloved fingers, he lifts an eyebrow at her in question, his gaze meeting finally hers. His knees were aching, and he moved to sit beside her, easing onto the bed, stifling a groan as his joints protested at his motions.

"The oakmoss and elderflowers. Each of them have medicinal uses, for easing pain. Without lyrium, you're hurting." More carefully this time, more of deference to him than any remaining pain, Talise slid over, until she was sitting beside him.

"I should be taking it. I'm not as strong as I was." Cullen keeps his gaze, dark with pain and anguish locked on his hands, unable to look over at her, even as she slides closer. The urge to pull her to him is almost more than he can bear, the muscles in his shoulders twitch with the effort of sitting still.

"It's dangerous Cullen", Talise had no qualms, and she leaned into him, resting her cheek against his shoulder, and curling her one hand around his.

For a moment he remembers the first night with her, when they sat almost like this on the steps in the chapel, only he was the one offering comfort, and his heart twists, clenching at the memory, "I have to give everything to the Inquisition, just like I did the Templars."

"You are. But you're also saving your life. I've seen the lyrium addicts, used up and discarded by the Chantry." Her small fingers squeeze his, and she looks up at him, peeking over the top of his shoulder to look at him in profile.

"Talise… I…." he paused, heaving in a breath as he looked over at her, barely able to meet her eyes, "I won't be able to protect you like I could."

Dark hair, sticky with blood and grime, shifted slightly when she shook her head no at his words, "I don't need protection."

He snorted, gesturing down to his office with one calloused hand, "The state you were in when you got here says different."

Stubbornly she continues to shake her head no at him, unwilling to back down, but trying to let him come to his own decision, "That is my fault. I take stupid risks."

"And I can't protect you from them." Again, his eyes drop from hers, his head bowing and he stares sightlessly at the door.

"No. Do not make this about me. You've put everyone else ahead of your own needs and wants. Do you want to stay off the lyrium?"

He nods, not meeting her eyes, his fingers clenching into fists. As much as she had been unarmored in the fight that left her so wounded, she was pulling his armor off now, leaving him defenseless against the onslaught of his emotions.

"Then do not take it. Even without it Templars are feared warriors. I could not best you in a fair fight. You're a brilliant strategist, and you've raised and trained an impressive army. All without lyrium. If you want to stop, then stop." Her perceptive gaze took in the way his fingers trembled when he curled his hands into fists, and the darkness of his gaze. Slowly, giving him time to move away, she reached for him, resting one of her small hands over the back of his larger ones.

"And if I want to take it again?" he barely breathes the words out, flexing his fingers back and forth into fists, and then relaxing them. The differences in their hands, hers small, his large, scars dominating his knuckles, captured his attention, and he focused on her hand resting atop his.

She sucks in a breath at his words, breathless at how much the idea of him staying on lyrium hurts her, "Cullen… Templars lose their memories on it, eventually."

"We do… wait, how do you know?" He nods at her words, and then looks over at her, frowning in confusion.

She pauses, sighing deeply and fiddling with the sleeve of the shirt she wears, shoving it back up over her hands, "I took a job once, a woman came to me with her life savings, what there was of it, asking me to find her brother. Just find him. It took about 3 months, but I found him up in the Free Marches, begging on the streets for lyrium. He had no memories Cullen, nothing. And he wasn't the first Templar I saw that way."

"What happened to the man?" when she spoke of a retired Templar, Cullen felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, he knew his own future could be close to the same, it was one of his deepest fears.

She heaved a breath, and leaned her head against his shoulder, "He had a moment of lucidity, told me about his sister and her family. I was decided to try and bring him to her, and when I got him home, he didn't recognize her. She wrote and told me he died a few days after I left. I sent her money back, and doubled it."

Cullen winced, burying his head in his hands, a shiver running through him, "At least he was with his family at the end."

"There will come a day where you won't recognize your family. Anyone you know. There will come a day when I look in your eyes and I won't see you in them anymore", grimacing in pain when she moved, she slid off the bed, sliding around his leg to sit between his feet, reaching up and cupping one cheek in his hand, "And I would rather face all the Venatori alone, without no armor and no weapons, than watch you fade away from me."

His fingers slid into her hair, stained and matted with blood, uncaring that his hands would be dirty, as he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers, "I can't tell you that you didn't factor into my decision."

"Cullen please… stop it." She sniffled then, unable to keep the silvery tears from welling in her gaze.

"How are you so impossibly beautiful, covered in dirt and blood and I don't want to know" despite his fears, and the lingering ache in his knees, he ran a finger over her cheek, catching the tear that tracked down her smooth skin.

"I'm not beautiful right now. I'm exhausted. And tired. And I have no idea how I am going to get my hair clean." She picks at the matted lengths of her hair for emphasis, lifting the heavy strands, slick with blood in places.

"I do." Even as he spoke, there was a knock on the door, and a guard entered, followed by servants carrying a small tub, just enough to rinse off in, along with a bag from Talise's room. Leaning over the balcony, he watched them set everything up, before curling his fingers around hers, and tugging her gently from her spot on the floor beside the bed, "You'll have to come downstairs, unfortunately."

It did not take all the soap in Skyhold, but quite a bit of it, to get Talise clean. Cullen tugged the bandage off her injured arm gently, gratified to see it closed, although the wound was still red, and tender to the touch. Following the written directions on the ointment Valissia had left, he rubbed the wound, as well as the few scrapes and smaller cuts Talise had, and then rebandaged her arm, tugging his shirt back over her head and ushering her back up to his bed.

Sometime later, Talise lay with her head in his lap, and he gently worked the tangles out of her now clean hair with a comb, feeling rather inept, and frowning each time he pulled a tangle too hard. But she was relaxed, her eyes closed, long lashes hiding her gaze, and for a moment he thought she was asleep.

"Even if we part, and you shatter my heart, stay off the lyrium", her voice was soft and quiet, whispered words in the faint candlelight as she lifted her lashes, looking up at him.

The comb paused in her hair, and shook slightly, his fingers trembling, "I'm not going to break your heart. I'm rather afraid for mine."

"I will always be in the shadows behind you, no matter what happens. But do not make me watch you fade away." Long lashes lifted to reveal her bright cerulean gaze, liquid with emotion as she looked up at him.

He says nothing, his throat working, but words fail him, and instead his warm whiskey gaze focuses on her hair, combing through it with slow strokes.

"Cullen please. I will probably ask much of you. I'm selfish and self-centered and moody and temperamental", a small frown mars her face as she lifts her still-healing arm, and she lifts the other one instead, cupping his cheek with cool fingers, her fingers tipped with small callouses.

The hand not combing her hair lifts to her fingers, pressing them against his stubble-covered cheek, "You're none of those things."

"I'm well-aware of my short comings. I take risks, I don't always strategize well. I'm afraid of snakes. No, that's a lie. I'm terrified of the damn things." A small smile lifts the bow of her mouth at his denial of her flaws.

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, he chuckles, "I suppose I will have to kill any of them for you."

"Yes you will. Listen to me", she moves her good arm up to the back of his neck, pulling him to her and rising from his lap at the same time, until they are nearly nose to nose, "You can tell me no. You can yell at me about not wearing proper armor and jumping off of high places. You call tell me when I'm being moody. But give me this one thing, please please do not go back on the lyrium."

"I won't." he sighs, pushing himself to his feet, and taking her small hand in his. Gently he tugged her to her feet, and then pushed back in bed. Once she was settled in his bed, her dark hair fanned out on the pillow behind her, he tugged the blankets up over her, "Will you be alright here?"

"I'm fine", she could not mask the yawn, and her eyes were hazy with sleep already, "More work to do?"

"No, I need to clear my head. I'll be just outside, if you need me." He stayed until Talise's breathing had evened out, and then made his way down the ladder and to the ramparts outside. The night air was chilly, and he welcomed the cold, taking a deep breath, his eyes closing as he looked out over the darkened mountains. She had accepted his decision easily, leaving the choice up to him, even as she feared losing him. The very idea that Talise, a woman more talented than many he had met, could fear losing him, made his hands tremble for a reason different than lyrium withdrawl. Words came to him, words he had never dared speak to another; had never believed he would say, squeezing around his heart, making it ache more than his body did.

Stronger now, more confident in his decision, he turned and walked back to his quarters, firmly but quietly shutting the doors behind him. His amber eyes turned towards the ladder up to his bedroom, such as it was, even from where he stood he could see starlight flickering in through the hole in the ceiling, the hole he could never seem to tolerate anyone repairing. Talise was up there, exhausted from battle, her wounds scarcely mended, sleeping in one of his shirts; he drug a gloved hand down his face at the thought of her as he had first seen her. He needed to send her away, needed to tuck her back into her bed in her room, and leave her there.

By the time he climbed the last rung of the ladder, he had resolved to do that. His jaw set, he climbed onto the balcony, and stopped. The candles he had not blown out cast golden light over Talise as she slept, now turned onto her side in her sleep. Her skin was free of the bruises that had decorated it, and in the candlelight, she almost seemed to glow, downy lashes covered her bright gaze, and he was thankful for it. Every time she looked up at him with those eyes, he lost himself, would agree to almost anything, would do almost anything. She seemed to weaken and strengthen him with just one look.

With a deliberate slowness, he tugged his armor off, carefully putting it on a stand. When everything was neatly hung, his sword laying atop a chest, he turned back to the bed, pulling his shirt over his head, and letting it simply fall from his fingers. Careful to keep from jostling the bed, he stretched out on it, unable to keep from rolling to his side and studying Talise. This close he saw the small scar that nicked the top of her ear, and the one on the back of her hand.

"No one has a right to be this beautiful", he whispered the words, letting his calloused fingers roam over her face, gently tracing the high cheekbones, and the finely arched dark eyebrows. Talise's lashes fluttered, and he paused, until she relaxed back into sleep once more, and he continued his slow, gentle perusal of her face, and then her arms. There was muscle there, but she was thin, she didn't have the bulkiness that even some scouts had, his fingers traced her slender ones, feeling the callouses on the pads of her finger tips, the scar on the back of her hand. A shudder wracked him when she wrapped her fingers around his, murmuring in her sleep.

With a sigh, Talise shifted, snuggling close to her side, and rather than warm, he was met with cool, smooth skin. Every time he had touched her, or held her, he had been struck by how cool her skin was, and he sighed as she moved closer to him, pressing her body against his, one arm lifting to loop around his neck. Running his hands down her arms and her back, in a gentle motion, his lashes grew heavy, once, twice, three times he blinked sleep away before he relaxed and was asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Say the Words

Talise had never been a good patient. She was restless for the few days the healers ordered her to rest, picking up a book only to toss it to one side, grumpily turning down any food only to want it back minutes later, getting testy with Valissia and the healers as they checked on her wounds. The two days it took before Valissia declared that Talise could stop resting had tested their friendship, and both were short with each other.

As soon as she had been cleared by Valissia she had taken a long bath, ruthlessly scrubbed her hair clean; and dressed in clean clothes, headed for the Rookery. Talise passed the morning there, going over reports with Leiliana, and making plans; she had so easily merged her contacts with the Spymasters, and they worked so well together, Leiliana jokingly called her the Left Hand of the Left Hand. By the time they were done, a series of reports had been sent to Cullen and Josephine, and the rookery was nearly empty of both ravens and scouts. Both Talise and Leiliana were intent on finding out any scrap of information on Corypheus and his army, and they were both willing to stop at nothing to do so.

The rest of the day passed quickly for Talise. Her favorite poison was running low, and she mixed some of it, sitting in the apothecary shop as she worked. After her mission the previous days, her daggers had been well-used, and she cleaned them, taking them to Daghna to be thoroughly repaired and sharpened.

Now, she was standing in her room, looking at a small wooden box sitting on the vanity she shared with Valissia. The top was scattered with the trappings of two women, but also bottles of poison, herbs Valissia was studying, a few spells on scrolls, and several throwing knives. A small spot in the chaos had been cleared, and there sat the box. Along with a note, folded in half, her name written on the front, already she recognized his handwriting, it had come from Cullen.

Grinning despite herself, she opened the note first, leaning against the vanity as she read it, one ankle crossed over the other.

 _Talise,_

 _You told me once about the flower garden your mother planted, and how it attracted butterflies. You smiled when you spoke of it, and these reminded me of your smile. Maybe someday you will have time to plant your own butterfly garden._

 _Cullen_

With one hand, she reached for the box, her eyes re-reading Cullen's words, and without ever taking her sky touched gaze from the paper, she flipped the top of the box open. Only then did she dare peek at the contents of the box, a small sigh leaving her lush lips as she did. Inside of the box were packets of seeds, carefully labeled.

Still holding the letter in one hand, she picked up a packet in the other and stared intently at it. The conversation had been a short one, she had remarked on the flowers growing in the garden, and the memory of playing in her mother's flower garden. Each packet represented something more permanent, somewhere solid to live, as Talise and not as Ghost. Or maybe as both, she was both the woman who loved flowers and an assassin.

Laying the letter to one side, she picked up each packet, looking them over carefully. Most she recognized, and she closed her eyes as they started to brim with tears, remembering the times she played in the garden watching the butterflies. A smile curled the corner of her lips, and she brushed away her tears, tucking each packet of seeds back into the box with tender care.

A stack of stationary rested on one corner of the vanity, and she reached for several pages of it, a quill pen and a bottle of ink, setting out to craft a response. A few minutes later, she slipped into Cullen's office, laying an envelope with his name on it, written in a feminine swirl, as well as a freshly picked morning glory, on his desk. As stealthily as she came in, she walked back out, a faint shadow as she walked down ramparts.

With Christopher at his heels, Cullen walked into his office, agreeing on a few last details for a plan. Cullen's warm honey gaze saw the flower on his desk, and a small envelope beneath it. Casually he moved to pick it up, sighing as he caught just the barest whiff of water lily on the air, it almost seemed like Talise had been here to deliver her response himself.

"Since you're obviously not conducting Inquisition business, I'll just see myself out", the Herald grinned as Cullen held the flower in his hand, studying it intently, before slipping out a door. Putting the flower down carefully, he picked up the envelope, and tugged it open, breaking the gray wax seal, decorated with crossed daggers.

 _Cullen,_

 _Thank you. I barely spoke of the garden, but you saw how much the memories meant to me. You keep doing that, noticing small things that I think are hidden away._

 _And yes, I will find somewhere to plant the flowers and make my own butterfly garden. Maybe you'll help me plant them._

 _Talise_

 _The necklace is my favorite. Take good care of it._

"Necklace?" even as he spoke the words, he saw a glint of silver in the corner of the envelope, and with fingers that just barely shook, he tipped the envelope up. A silver chain slid from the envelope, decorated with a tiny pendant. Delicate silver wires were curled into the shape of butterfly wings; in the golden light that filtered through his windows, tiny gems sparkled blue and turquoise. The delicate pendant spun in the light as he stared at it, and he was nearly overcome by an urge to go find Talise, to hold her to him and promise her that he would plant flowers with her. Once this was over, if they survived, if this war ever ended, he would plant all the flowers she wanted.

Instead, he sat down at his chair, unbuckled his chest plate enough to slide his hand in, and dropped the necklace into a pocket on his shirt. It was too small for him to wear, and he was afraid of breaking the delicate chain, so instead he tucked it into a pocket on his muscled chest, a few inches away from his heart, before writing a note back.

 _Talise,_

 _I will keep your necklace safe for as long as you want me to. Can I see you this evening? I have a meeting after dinner, but I've been promised it will be a short one._

 _Cullen_

Dinner time found Talise in between Varric and Valissia, with Iron Bull and Dorian sitting across from her, and Sera slipping her notes from down the table.

"Talise…. Any plans for this evening?" Valissia grinned, unable to resist giving her best friend a good ribbing while they sat together at dinner.

"Plans?", Bull's good eye peered intently at Talise, his lips curving when he saw her blush and fidget in her chair, "I say she should strip naked, walk up to the ramparts and demand that Cullen f—"

"That is more than enough!" Talise protested, pressing her hands against her ears as everyone around her laughed, "He hates gossip you know."

"Then he needs to stop stealing kisses he thinks we don't see", Sera grinned, shoving a cookie in her mouth.

"So will you go up to his office, and just strip there then?" Varric looked up from the book he was writing in, his quill pausing, a wicked grin on his face.

"That desk looks sturdy enough." Iron Bull grinned at her over the top of his tankard, before draining it in one motion.

Talise choked on a mouthful of her dinner, unable to breathe for a second, and she glare at the Qunari, "Bull, stop it."

Iron Bull shrugs one massive shoulder in response, smiling at Talise's glare, "It's not like he doesn't want you. We all know he does."

"He has a point", Varric nods, "Cullen's infatuation is obvious for anyone with a pair of eyes and half a brain."

"Are we talking about Talise and Cullen?" Dorian smirks, sitting down next to Iron Bull, just slightly closer than he would have previously.

"Oh Maker. I wish you two would quit stalling", huffing in annoyance, Cassandra sits on the other side of Valissia.

"Ok, I'm done. I have somewhere to be", Talise jumps up from her seat, almost knocking it over in her embarrassment.

"Come on now little love", Varric grins at her, "Sit down and finish dinner. You go see him now and you'll faint before the good parts."

"Wouldn't that be romantic though, she just swoons into his arms?", Sera snorted with laughter at the idea.

Talise stopped to finish off the wine she had been drinking, ignoring her food, "I'll grab something to eat on my way to…. Do whatever it is I'm doing."

"You mean who." Bull looks from Dorian to Talise, smirking at her.

"I said nothing of the sort." Desperately trying to keep the blush from her cheeks, Talise turns, making her way towards the doors of the tavern.

"Didn't have to. Ben-Hassrath, remember?" As Bull calls out the words, he drops an arm over the back of Dorian's chair, in a move both casual and meaningful.

Talise fairly flees the inn, leaving the companions laughing, and Cassandra turned to Valissia, "I've been meaning to ask. Little love?"

"It's not exactly the nickname you would expect a fearsome assassin to have", Dorian adds, sipping at his drink. He did not move away from Bull, but did not lean into the warrior either, although he could not keep the smile from his face.

"It was what her father called her. She came early, and she was this tiny thing with dark hair that screamed all the time. Or so Jordan always said," Valissia smiled at the memories of her friends, "When her father died, Jordan started calling her that. I picked it up from there."

Cassandra nodded, taking a tankard from a passing barmaid with a murmur of thanks, "So it's a family thing then?"

"It's odd she lets people here call her that." Dorian, still half-ignoring Iron Bull, half-leaning into him, spoke from his side of the table.

"No. It's not." Valissia pauses for a moment, long fingers toying with her mug of ale, "She has not been Talise much. She's been the Ghost of Ferelden more. But here, she gets to be who she really is."

"So we can all call her little love then?" Iron Bull smirked, knowing full well what the answer would be. Cullen had been protective of Talise since the moment she had stepped into Skyhold, and that protectiveness grew with each day. Now it was obvious to more than just a well-trained Qunari spy.

"I would take that up with Commander Rutherford if I were you", with a smirk on his face, Christopher dropped into the chair beside Valissia, lifting a hand to brush a kiss against her fingers, "And I have the feeling he will say no. Meeting is over, which is why I suppose I don't see Talise."

"So, is she going to see him or what?" Sera breaks the quiet moment, earning her a grin from Varric.

Valissia nods, lifting her gaze from the Herald's, "I'm certain of it."

"This isn't just a thing, for her, is it?" Cassandra frowned suddenly, concern darkening her features.

"I don't think so." Valissia shakes her head no in response, auburn hair gleaming in the firelight, "Cullen… I don't know how to explain it, but he sees her. I think he's the first one to see her, and not just a spy skulking around in corners."

"Hawke did once. I remember he questioned Jordan about Talise repeatedly, until finally Jordan threatened to beat him to a pulp." Varric spoke off-handedly, his quill moving across the paper as he wrote, not lifting his eyes from his work.

"Really?", Valissia blinks a few times, "I had no idea."

"Do you remember when the three of you came to Kirkwall, you were headed to see Amelia?", Varric looked over at Valissia, continuing when she nodded, "Hawke was interested in her then."

"Well, she's a lost cause for sure." Dorian speaks, "If she goes up there to Cullen, things will change between them. And no one will have a shot with her."

"No one has had a shot with her since she walked in through the gates. He's all she's looked at", Iron Bull speaks then, draining his mug.

"The shadow looks for the light. The light waits for the shadow. They will meet where shadow and light touch." Cole speaks, appearing out of thin air, causing several of the companions to jump.

"Andraste's bouncing tits Kid! Don't just sneak up like that!" Varric recovered first, glaring at the blonde-haired, half-spirit. Despite their fears, Cole was well-meaning, but his habit of just appearing was disconcerting.

It was a relatively short meeting, but Cullen had been impatient from the start, gloved hands tapping on the war table anytime a discussion drug on for long. Talise's team of contacts and spies had been added to the Inquisition's, and there was a fresh stack of reports. He was grateful for the additional information, but also impatient to get done with the meeting. Gloved fingers drummed on the table anytime anyone spoke for over long, and he was more distracted than usual, agreeing to several plans only to change his mind and argue for a more militaristic approach.

As soon as Christopher departed for the Herald's Rest, Josephine for her office and Leiliana for the rookery, Cullen headed back to his quarters. Once inside he surveyed the room, muttering a prayer of gratitude that it was neat and tidy. The envelope that contained Talise's necklace and her flower had been moved to a shelf on the bookcase, he stared at the flower as he started to pace the length of his office, questioning whether he was pushing things too far and too soon. Talise was still grieving for her brother, the war was still waging, he had no idea what the morning would bring them. Was now the time to start something like this with her? And if not now, when?

With every step across the keep, up to the ramparts, Talise's heart rocketed in speed, until she could feel it throbbing in the hollow of her throat. Her knees wobbled on the steps, and she had to lean over the top of the rampart when she got to the top, heaving deep breaths into her lungs. Everything would change, one way or the other, when she walked into Cullen's office. Her heart, something she had kept hidden away all her life, would be out in the open, leaving her more vulnerable than if she was standing in a room full of guards in the middle of the day, holding the Ferelden royal jewels.

Her sure steps faltered again, and she came to a stop, staring at the door to Cullen's office, her feet suddenly locked in place. It took several breaths for her hands to stop shaking, and she stood there for several minutes more, her swirling cerulean gaze wide in the moonlight, the fluttering heartbeat visible in her throat, betraying her nerves, even as she stood completely still.

Two choices lay before her, to retreat into the shadows, to end this… flirtation before it really got started, and bury the memory of stolen kisses in the back of her mind. Focus on the war, on defeating a monster of nightmares made real, and saving her world. Or… walk past all the complications, all the complexities of life that faced her, past the pain of her losing her family, walk out of the shadows, and straight into Cullen's arms.

Weeks' worth of memories come to her; that first awful night, when he had stayed with her, praying the words she could not say, keeping one hand curled around hers and an arm wrapped around her shoulder until her tears faded. His hand curled around her arm when she faced the Herald's judgment, intent on protecting her, seeing the good in her, even as he missed the good in himself. His letters, gradually warming up to her, until he confessed he saw her eyes in the morning glories in the garden, playing chess, that flower he picked for her, the one she had the mages carefully preserve and protect in a glass box, the way he looked at her, every time he saw her. Waiting for her one evening as she taught the scouts, bringing her chocolate, and the kisses on the ramparts afterwards.

"If I die tomorrow, I will not waste tonight" whispering the words, she took one step, then another, her easy saunter returning to her, and she stepped up to his door, raised a hand to knock softly, only to see that the heavy door is just barely open. Pushing it open, she peered inside, sighing as she saw him.

Cullen stood before a darkened window, his back to the office, one hand braced on the stone windowsill, his blonde head bowed in thought. From her spot in the doorway, she could see him frowning, and her fingers curl against her palms, as the sudden urge to run her fingers across the worry lines catches her.

"Cullen?" she spoke his name softly, almost whispering it, almost hesitant to walk into his office, even as her heart demanded she do just that.

"Maker's breath…" she is standing in a puddle of moonlight, her hair nearly black in the darkness, the shining mass lifted up in some way that makes him want to run his fingers through her hair, tugging it free. Against her porcelain skin, her eyes appeared brighter, shining in shifting shades of blue as she looked up at him, meeting his gaze directly instead of peeking out from underneath him from her lashes. A silken shirt was tied around her neck, baring smooth shoulders to him, and his amber gaze lingered on the curves of her breasts, staying there for a beat too second, before sliding down her body. It was her leggings that nearly snapped his control, the ties on the hips were not laced all the way up, instead bits of tender skin was bare to his honey warm gaze, "You are beautiful."

He his compliment was rewarded with a blush that darkened the tops of her cheeks, and even the curves of her ears as she stepped into the office, "Thank you. I feel more nervous than beautiful."

"You? Nervous?" He walked to her, leaning past her to shut the heavy doors, his hands staying on the heavy wood, braced on either side of her head.

He was so close, she took a deep breath, oak moss and elderflower filling her head, making it swim slightly, "HmmMmm. Very nervous."

"I make you nervous then?" He leaned toward her, close enough to catch a whiff of her water lily scented hair, just the smell of her had his pulse racing, bringing out a side of him he thought carefully hidden away.

He was more aggressive, somehow, leaning closer to her as she leaned against the door, and Talise stifled a whimper, sinking her teeth into her lower lip and biting the curve hard, "I can't hide. I mean, I can, but you seem to be able to find me anytime I hide."

"I'm trained for it… and besides", with a gentle, commanding dominance, he leaned in, almost kissing her, "You smell like flowers. I just follow your perfume."

"Maybe… I will… stop… wearing it" even to her ears her words are breathy.

Slowly, infinitely slowly, but not faltering, he slide one hand around her back, drawing her away from the door, and pulling her to him, "Hmmmm.. So I will have to chase you then? Is that what you want?"

Talise shook her head no at his words, past the point of any interest in the chase, or in being chased.

"Tell me what you want." Still moving slowly, but with quiet dominance, he leaned down to whisper in ear, cupping her head with his free hand.

"I want…" her teeth dug into her lip again, and he leaned forward to stop her, pressing a feathery soft kiss against her bruised lower lip. Talise remembered her words to Valissia that morning in the garden, speaking of her deepest desire, and her cheeks flushed again.

Whispered words were pressed into her cheek with small kisses, the hand that cupped her head releasing it to stroke through her dark tresses, tugging free tiny hair pins as he found them, "I can't give you what you want if you don't tell me."

A blush covered every visible inch of silky smooth, pale skin, as she spoke, "To…. To be engulfed. Overwhelmed. To forget my own name, the world. To see nothing… but you."

Cullen's gaze widened for the briefest moment, of all the things he thought Talise would want, would ask for, she had shocked him. He leaned his forehead against hers, his hands curling into fists on the door as he fought desperately for some small thread of control. The battle was lost when Talise leaned up, flicking her tongue against his lower lip, and then sucking it past her lips, nipping at it with her teeth.

In one move he picked her up, pinning her to his body, and turned, taking the few steps to his desk. He would never make it to the ladder to his bed, and with one arm he shoved the reports, the papers, the books, off his desk, sending everything falling to the floor in a crash. Once his table was cleared off, he set Talise on the edge of it, leaning into her and capturing her lips in a kiss.

Her nimble fingers were working on the clasps of his chest piece as he shrugged out of his surcoat, letting it fall to the ground in a heap of fur and red cloth. He had one glove between his teeth, pulling it off his hand when he felt the tremor go through her body, "Talise… have you done this before?"

"Have I ever stripped a man out of his armor while sitting on his desk?" she grinned up at him, her cheeks flushed with arousal.

His calloused fingers trailed over the lush curve of her lower lip, rubbing it back and forth, "I'm not joking Talise. I want this, badly. But I don't want to hurt you."

"To answer your question, yes I have", she stammered a bit, her usually nimble fingers fumbling with the clasps on his armor, "If you must know, it wasn't good. I didn't… he was timid, unsure of himself. Every time."

"Just one man then?" He tugged his other glove free as he spoke, dropping them both to the floor.

She nodded, leaning her burning forehead against his chest, "Yes, just the one man. Being a world-famous assassin doesn't really give you much time for sex."

His blood roared at her words, and he clenched his fingers around hers' for a moment, heaving a deep breath into his lungs, letting go of her fingers and tilting her chin up with one hand, "This won't be just once. I will give you time to walk out, if you want. But if you stay here, you're mine Talise. Mine."

She froze, looking up at him with sky touched eyes, meeting his arousal darkened gaze while her cheeks heated in a blush. Her fingers traced the templar sword engraved on his greaves, and finally she looked down, she would be puddled on his desk if she looked into his amber gaze any longer.

Calloused fingers slid into the shining lengths of her dark hair, tugging her head back when she would look away, "Oh no. You said you wanted to be overwhelmed. To lose yourself. You can't close your eyes, and you can't look away."

She nodded, wincing slightly when the movement pulled on her hair, lost his golden gaze. A sigh escaped her when his fingers trailed over her bared shoulders, "You're warm."

Calloused fingers slid over her shoulders, toying with the silken ends tied in a bow behind her neck, "Maker's breath… how is your skin this soft?"

"You don't see the bottles of lotion in my room", she grinned at his words, but lifts her hands in helplessness, "I give up. There is no way to get you out of your armor. You must sleep in it."

He laughed then, her frustration with his armor giving him something to focus on other than the tender skin at the back of neck, skin he wanted to sink his teeth into, "Here, let me show you."

For a few minutes, he held his fingers with his, running them over the clasps and buckles in his armor, slowly taking his piece off, and letting them drop to the floor. When the last piece dropped to the floor with a clang, her arms curled around his neck, tugging him to her, and he followed, tugging off the arming vest he wears beneath it as he leaned into her.

Her lips grazed his neck, and one of his hands curled into her hair, gripping it tight enough to bring her head up, his other hand reached for the ties on her hip, tugging at them, "Is there a reason why you didn't tie them all the way?"

"All the better to seduce you"

"You didn't need the leggings." He whispered the words in his ear, tugging on the suede ties, groaning as they came undone easily in his hands. The supple material was molded to her legs, and so snug, that the gap in her leggings widened, revealing more of her thigh, "Don't move."

She nodded as he let go of her hair, her bright gaze watching his fingers as he reached for the ties on her other leg, tugging them hard enough to jerk the loose bow she looped into the tie open. Her leggings pooled around her hips, if she was standing they would be sliding down her legs. One large hand skimmed down her leg, trailing over the bared skin, grabbing the top of her boot and pulling it off, before Cullen tugged her other boot off.

The cool air raised goosebumps on her pale skin, and Talise shivered, the only movement she made as Cullen pulled her boots from her, her gaze dark with desire. He felt the shiver, and slowly he slid his hands up her legs, gripping her leggings and tugging them down her legs in one smooth motion, the laces running up her thighs pulling free further.

"Cullen…"

"Hush." He paused in his perusal of her body, running just the tips of his fingers over her thighs, gratified to see her squeeze them together in response, "Don't move."

"I haven't." She gritted the words out, her entire body throbbing as his fingers slid over her thighs.

"I know. Good girl", his fingers slowly skimmed up her arms, toying with the ties on her shirt behind her neck, "And did you wear this shirt to seduce me too?"

She nodded at his words, unable to hide the shiver that coasted down her spine, his tone was rougher, deeper, and she was responding to it, "Yes."

"You didn't have to." He leaned in to brush a kiss across her lips, before pulling back, "I've wanted you every time I saw you. Sitting in the war room, reading your reports, I wanted you. Playing chess in the garden, I wanted you. I was hard for days after you brought me up here to eat chocolate."

With each word, he tugged a little harder on the ties of her shirt, slowly loosening them, pulling with sure, determined ease. When the bow loosened fully, and the ties fell apart, Talise's hands rose to catch them automatically. Cullen grinned them, a smirk curling the corner of his mouth, "No no. You weren't supposed to move."

He caught both of her hands in his at the same time he leaned into her, pressing her backwards onto the desk, until she was stretched out on the desk underneath him. The top of her shirt was loosened enough that the curves of her breasts were bared as she stretched out beneath him, one bare foot coming up to rest on the edge of his desk, and tugged at the material, hard enough that the stitches gave with a popping noise, "Tell me something… how much do you like this shirt?"

Talise panted for breath, her chest rising and heaving, beneath the shirt she was bare, and her nipples hurt as they hardened into points, just barely hidden from view by her shirt, "I… can…"

"You can?" He prompted when she paused, his lips pressed between her breasts, dropping warm kisses up the inner curves, where her skin was as soft as down.

"Get a new one" she gasped the words out, her fingers rising from where he had placed them on his desk, digging into his shoulders.

"Talise… You were supposed to hold still", smirking at her, he lifted her hands back into place, pinning them with one hand. One swift, hard pull and the shirt she wore disintegrated, seams popping and panels of watered silk falling apart. Cullen looked down at her and groaned, she was perfect; pert breasts, not quite enough to fill his hands were topped with rose pink nipples, nipples that were hard already, begging for his mouth.

Her teeth dug into her lower lip until it hurt as his mouth closed over her breast, and Talise tried in vain to keep the moan from escaping her. Muscles bunched as she arched from the desk, offering herself further to Cullen, who answered with a muffled groan. His lips still sucking on her nipple, tongue lashing it, one hand slid up the inside of her thigh, until he felt smooth silk and lace. For a moment he paused, torn between letting go and looking down to see what she was wearing, or just pulling off. At her whimper, he lifted his head, seeing her swollen lower lip being battered between her teeth, and he lifted his head, "I was going to go slow. I wanted to go slow. Maker's breath, I want to go slow."

The silk in his hands came apart with a tug, and he groaned again, looking down to see her swollen and wet already, dark hair carefully trimmed, "Talise… I can't stop."

She ignored his command to stay still, and shifted, wrapped her legs around his waist, her fingers curling into his wrist as he held her hands to the desk, "Please Cullen… please…"

"You don't know what you're asking for."

"Cullen…" she pants his name, her legs tightening around his waist, trying in vain to pull her to him, "I told you what I wanted. You said you would give it to me if I told you."

"Maker's breath…" His free hand slid down her stomach, feeling the muscles bunch and jump as she squirmed, and he gritted his teeth, remembering his training to keep from losing every ounce of control he had, "I did say that… didn't I?"

She nodded, shifting and writhing beneath him, he was so close to touching her, his fingers skimming over her skin, rubbing her swollen clit gently. The moan that escaped her echoed in his office, and her hips lifted eagerly from the wooden desk, following his movements, "Please…"

"Please what Talise?"

"Please… don't…" she meant to say stop, meant to beg him for more, but his fingers left her clit, and she whined, the sound rising into a squeal as he slid one finger into her, with agonizing slowness.

"Don't? You don't want me then?" Cullen winced as she squeezed his finger, adding another, ignoring the throb of his cock, which was pressing insistently against his pants.

"I didn't say that.." Talise panted, her hands struggling against his as she squirmed, her nails digging into his palm and the back of his hand. She was so slick, and growing wetter by the second, her thighs growing damp with it, as she pressed her hips against his hand. White sparks grew in vision, and she moaned, arching up against Cullen's frame, "Fuck… Cullen.. please.."

"Give it to me sweetheart. Let me feel you" he murmured the words in her ear, nipping at the soft flesh beneath it, intent on feeling her orgasm around his fingers. He had been shocked when she had admitted to never climaxed with a man, and he was now driven by some instinct to be the first one it happened with.

As his fingers slid in and out of her with pleasurable movements, Talise shuddered, her legs shifting restlessly around his waist. Electricity sparked down her spine, and she arched, a moan rising in her throat, only to turn into a scream when Cullen brushed his calloused thumb against his aching clit.

She was screaming, the sound morphing into his name, and Cullen groaned, reaching for the ties on his breeches, and tugging them open. As soon as his cock slid out, he ran a hand down his swollen length, once, twice, moaning as pleasure arced through him. His muscles jumped as he leaned down, brushing against her, drawing her orgasm out, and before she relaxed beneath him, he pushed into her body, cursing as she tightened around him. With one long thrust he slid into her body, until his hips were pressed against hers, and her legs curled around his waist.

His hand, smarting where her nails had dug into it, released her hands, and he grabbed her waist with both hands, pulling her down the desk until she was fully embedded on his length, and he was stretched out over her, panting as he thrust into her slowly, grinding against her, "Is this what you wanted?"

Just as she could start to breathe again, he had slid into her, and she had, despite his earlier words, closed her eyes as her climax burned hotter, drawing out further, burying her head in his shoulder. At his words she opened her eyes, and saw nothing but his skin, the curve of his shoulder, the line of his neck; her body responded by clenching around his, "Yes Cullen. Yes."

She was too wet, too hot, too tight, squeezing around him, and he groaned, cursing as he held still, his fingers squeezing around her waist. He was spiraling out of control, he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her repeatedly, as hard as he could, until she was screaming his name again. The urge to fuck her, over and over, until she was undeniably his, snapped his control repeatedly.

With each thrust she slid up the table, and he brought her back to him, pulling on her hips, feeling her heat envelope him and squeeze him tightly, until he could not even breathe. Every inch of her pale skin, normally so cool to the touch, was warm, turning pink, a blush that spread down her cheeks, he shoulders, over the curves of her breasts and down the flat planes of her stomach. His warm gaze followed the flush of color, and he let go of her hips to follows the blush with his hands, and then his lips, sucking one tautened nipple into his mouth and nipping at it with her teeth.

Talise shrieked then, her skin almost too sensitive to touch, and she curled her fingers into his hair, holding him to her tightly, her hips lifting from the desk to meet each hard, demanding thrust. Her legs tightened around his waist, and she slid one hand down the back of his head and over his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin.

The flash of pain as she raked her nails brought his head up, desire burning hot in his gaze, "I'm fairly certain… I told you.. to leave your hands on the desk."

"I didn't listen." She smirked up at him, shifting her legs and lifting her hips higher off the desk

Cullen stopped, almost pulling from her body, groaning with the effort, and leaned back, sliding her down the desk until her ass was nearly hanging off it, pushing her smooth thighs further apart with his hands, "So you're not my good girl."

Good girl. Every time he said it, whispered those words in his rough voice, chills skated down her spine, and Talise could not stop the whimper as he slid her down the desk, her fingers scratching the surface as she searched for a place to hold on to.

"Don't. I've got you." Teasingly he rocked just barely in and out of her as he held onto her hips, smirking down at her, "Look at you… spread out on my desk for me. Wet and pink and begging for me."

Her blue gaze nearly rolled back in her head, with each teasing thrust he got deeper, almost brushing that spot inside of her that sent fire roaring through her. She couldn't catch her breath, couldn't feel her toes, couldn't feel anything but him, sliding in and out of her body with wicked sureness, "Please… please… please…"

"There she is. There's my good girl", he watched her eyes dilate when he called her that, watched her pulse thrum in the hollow of her throat, felt her squeeze tighter around him and he cursed, losing himself and slamming into her, his hips grinding against hers.

"Cullen…" she whimpered the words, one hand sliding down her body, nimble fingers reaching for her swollen clit as he thrust into her.

"Fuck Talise… I can't watch you.." his eyes squeezed shut, his hands trembling on her thighs as he held her legs open wider, giving him more room to surge into her body in harder thrusts.

She paused, her fingers just inches from her aching clit, her teeth digging into her lip as she whimpered. Much as she wanted to, she couldn't, when his eyes closed she worried she had pushed things too far, and suddenly she wanted to bury her face in his neck.

As in tune with her as he was, Cullen felt her fingers still, felt her body shift, and he blinked, slowing his thrusts and looking down at her. His heart squeezed hard when he saw the uncertainty in her cerulean gaze, and he reached for her, rubbing his thumb over her bruised lower lip, "You'll make me cum Talise. I can't watch you and not lose myself in you."

"I won't then."

"Maker's breath.. don't you fucking dare", he groaned, his fingers reaching for her dark hair and curling into it, holding on tightly, "I want you to. I need you to."

Slowly, her fingers inched down, trailing over her clit in the barest touch, even her light touch enough to set her off, and she squealed, her hips rising from the desk, her depths squeezing him harder as she rubbed again, moving in tiny circles.

He knew what she wanted, and knew what she needed, when she had asked for it, and he leaned down, enough to whisper to her in a rough command, "Be my good girl. Do what I told you."

Talise's eyes squeezed shut at his words, she was right there, hovering on the edge, when he thrust into her welcoming body harder, pulling her hips to his with his hands, and his words pushed her over. Her breath caught as her vision turned white, and when she sucked in a breath, she was screaming his name, uncaring of anyone that would hear her. Cullen slipped a hand over her mouth, still coherent enough to muffle her scream.

But it was his name. His name she had screamed as she came, tightening around him until it was painful, until could do nothing but thrust helplessly into her, swelling as he got closer to the edge, feeling her grow slicker and wetter and even hotter than she had been before. With a shout he came, his hips pressed so tightly against hers they almost ached, his knees wobbling, and he fell against the desk, propping himself up with one hand.

Talise was not sure how long they floated, rocking against each other, drawing the pleasure out as far as they could, her legs wrapping tightly around his hips, her arms cradling his head to her breasts. He moved justly barely, surging into her slowly, and finally he slid out of her body with a moan, too sensitive to stay within her folds, as much as he wanted to. His amber eyes darkened as he looked down at her, the flush starting to fade from her skin, her eyes half-closed, a flash of blue from under coal dark lashes. His seed leaked from her, smearing her thighs, glistening over her folds, and he groaned, feeling his cock twitch with interest as he leaned back.

"Are you alright?"

In an instant, the dominating man was gone, and Talise felt something soft and warm curl around her heart, more than it had been there before. She nodded weakly, her feet sliding off the edge of the desk, and he caught her legs in his hands, keeping her thighs from slamming onto the edge of the table. Once her feet were safely on the ground, he reached for her, lifting her from the table and into his arms, sighing as she tucked her head underneath his chin, "Are you sure you're alright. You're so tiny… and tight. Maker's breath, you have no right to feel that good."

She felt the shudder pass through his frame as his words, and she giggled, clamping a hand to her mouth to try and stifle her laughter as she leaned into him, "I didn't think that was a bad thing."

He grinned as she laughed, enjoying the sound of her laughter, "It is. Tomorrow, when I'm standing at my desk, giving orders, I'll think about this. And how incredibly tight you are."

"That's a bad thing?" Slowly she stretched her legs, reaching for the floor with her toes.

"If I drag you in here and strip you naked in the middle of the day it is." As he spoke he reached for the shirt he wore beneath his armor, the fabric wrinkled from laying on the floor, and tugged it over her head, "And I owe you a shirt."

"I'll just take one of yours in payment." An impish grin lifts her mouth as she lifts her now tangled hand from under the collar of his shirt, tugging the last remaining pins out of the dark tresses.

He smiled at her, the scar that cut down to his lips moving as he did, "You could make 4 of those flimsy things you wore out of one of my shirts, how is that fair?"

"Never claimed to be fair Cullen." She grinned, pulling away from him and flipping her hair over her head, sauntering towards the ladder that led to the balcony where his bed was.

A shriek filled the air as Cullen snatched her, turning her to face him, and then lifted her over one shoulder, walking towards the ladder as he did, "I agree, you've never played fair."

"Cullen!" She squirmed half-heartedly, before giving up and hanging over his shoulder as he climbed the ladder, her eyes widening as they got further off the ground, "You know, I'm perfectly capable of climbing the ladder by myself."

"I've got you. I won't let you fall" He grinned as he felt her stiffen, clamping a hand around her waist and pinning her to him as he climbed the ladder, not pausing until they stood on the balcony and he could set her gently on her feet, holding onto her elbows to steady her.

As soon as Talise was on her feet, she looked up, through the hole in the ceiling, not saying anything as she searched the sky. The neckline of his shirt, untied, fell over her shoulder as she stood there, and she tugged at it, her throat bared to him as she tilted her head back, the movement sending her hair waterfalling over her back in a chocolate colored, silken spill.

"What are you looking for?" He watched her, coming to stand behind her, and slid his arms around her waist, leaning his face on her small shoulder.

She leaned her frame against him, her knees wobbling slightly still, "The stars. You wrote to me of watching the stars when you couldn't sleep, and I wanted to see them."

"Oh. Not from there." Gently he guided her with warm, strong hands to his bed, and he climbed onto it, sitting on his knees in the middle of the bed, and then tugging on her hand. She went willingly, crawling towards him until he held her in front of him, pulling her body to his until they were pressed together, tilting her chin up when his calloused fingers slid beneath it, "Here. I saw them from here."

Twinkling stars studded the blue velvet expanse of the night as she looked upwards, her eyes reflecting the light in a swirl of blue as she looked at him, "So when you couldn't sleep you watched the stars and wrote me letters?"

"And did… other things." Despite their earlier coupling on the desk, the evidence of which was scattered across his office floor, he blushed pink, the tops of his cheeks warming under her gaze.

"Someday… I'm going to want to watch that." A brow lifted at his confession, and she grinned impishly up at him.

"Really?" Cullen's blush deepened, although he had to admit he was intrigued by the idea, and his eyes sparkled with interest.

"Yes. Really."

"I want to watch you then."

"You just did. You owe me one." A hot blush darkened her cheeks as she looked up at him, her fingers toying with the ties on the shirt she wore.

"Touché. I owe you a show then." He grinned at her, through his blush, before looking upwards at the stars again, "Mostly I sat up here and thought about you. Worried about you."

Her smirk faded as she looked at him, face turned up to watch the stars in the sky, a lump forming in her throat as her heart beat against her ribs so hard it ached. Or maybe it was just her want of him that made her heart ache, "I thought of you every time I watched the sunrise. Which was often, I always asked for the last watch."

"You did?" He barely breathed the words out, unable to believe that she was here, in his bed, confessing what felt like something deeper to him. He barely dared to hold on to hope, but he couldn't help himself, his heart thrummed in his chest suddenly.

"Just so I could watch the sunrise. You promised me that dawn would come, that first night. So I started watching for it." She nodded, looking down from the sky to his gaze once more, hers bright with an emotion, sparkling with it.

"Talise I…"

"Cullen…"

The spoke at the same time, and both blushed, Talise turning a dark pink as she fidgeted with the hem of his shirt where it hung over her thighs.

"What is it Talise?" One calloused hand reached for hers, curling around her fingers and holding onto her hand.

"I… I…" her teeth sunk into her lip, and she paused, standing on the precipice between confessing everything, and holding back, "Can't say the words again."

Even as his heart clenched a little as she backed down, he could see the answer shining in her eyes, and he reached for her, curling his arms around her, "I won't make you say them. If you don't feel like…"

"No. No Cullen, that's not what I meant. And this wasn't a one time thing for me, and I have no idea what I'm doing, if you can't tell." she babbled, wincing as the words came out in a rush.

"Shhh.." he leaned forward, capturing her lips with her in a tender kiss, "Do you want to know something? That first night, when I watched Varric take you to your room, after you had cried in the chapel, I wanted to make you leave. I wanted to take you and hide you somewhere safe, until all this is over."

She said nothing, her breath caught in her throat, her sky touched gaze wide and too large for her face as she stared at him.

"There isn't anywhere safe, until this war is over. But I wanted to, so badly." He paused, taking a deep breath, "All I've done and all I've seen, and I never wanted to protect someone as badly as I want to protect you. It's been years since I even thought about someone in my life."

A burn of tears clogs her throat, and her eyes gleam with them, spilling out onto her smooth cheeks when she blinks, sliding down her skin, "Cullen…"

"The way you say my name. It makes my heart ache." He smiles at her, tugging her to him, until she is tucked beneath his chin once more, slowly he eased back onto the pillows, taking her with him until she was curled tightly against his chest, the fingers of his free hand curling around hers.

"I love you" the whispered words hung in the air, and she holds her breath, waiting to hear them back.

"Maker's breath.. I never thought I'd hear you say them."

"I love you", she grew bolder then, lifting her head from his chest and pressing a kiss to the scar that ran down to his lips, "I love you Cullen. I think I have since I saw you that first night."

"The moment you came out of the shadows, you had my heart. You will always have it." His calloused hands trembled slightly as he cupped her face in them, "I love you."

Sometime in the morning, just as the dark sky started the inevitable fade to sunrise, Talise's eyes popped open, alert as Cullen jerked beside her. He twitched again in his sleep, murmuring words as she sat up, shoving her dark hair back away from her face. She was exhausted, they had slept little; reaching for each other over and over, she had woken up to his hands cupped around her breasts, his lips at her ears, later she had slid her fingers down his taut stomach and toyed with his cock until he woke up aching and had reached for her with a hungry gleam in his eyes. Sleep fled her quickly as she realized Cullen was dreaming, and just as her fingers reached for him, sliding over his stubbled jaw, he jerked himself away, his golden eyes flying open as he half sat up.

"Bad dream?"

Cullen nodded, panting slightly and laying back down, covering his eyes with one muscled forearm, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine. I'd rather be woken up than you suffer with a bad dream", she leaned up enough to press a kiss to his jaw, feeling his muscles tremble as she did, "What do you need?"

"You. Just you." In one movement he rolled to his side and pulled him to her, rearranging her arms and legs until one leg hung over his hip, and her arms were wrapped around his neck, his head tucked into her shoulder.

Slowly she drew circles on his shoulders and back, feeling the knots of tension in his muscles there, and she leaned back enough to brush a kiss on his forehead, "You know what you need?"

"I just told you."

"No. You need a back rub. A good one." Gently she disentangled herself from him, making her way down the ladder and rummaging around in the bag Valissia had sent up. She grinned as she peeked inside of it, seeing all the mage had packed for her, fresh underthings, the lacy ones Talise favored, a clean pair of leggings, a shirt, a comb and brush, a couple vials of her favorite bath oils, soap, and gleaming in a bottle was a bottle of oil, unscented. Talise mixed a few drops of the elder flower and oakmoss oils into it, knowing they would help ease his tired muscles, and climbed the ladder back up.

Cullen had rolled onto his stomach as soon as Talise had left, listening to her rummage around in her bag, and he sleepily grinned at her as she slid back into bed, "Remind me to thank Valissia for her foresight when I see her next."

"I think not having a grouchy roommate will be thanks enough."

"Have you been fighting with Valissia?"

"No. I've just been…. More temperamental than usual." She poured some of the oil into her palms, and rubbed her hands together, warming the oil before she touched him.

"Why?" As he asked the question, Talise slid her hands over his shoulders and down his back, digging into the tired muscles there, and he let out of a groan, burying his golden head into a pillow, "Maker…"

"Why what?" She smirked at his words, her nimble fingers finding each sore muscle and digging into them, her fingers sliding over his skin.

"I have forgotten what I asked about" his cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"I'm so good at this you've forgotten your questioning?" she laughs, working her way down his back, pressing into the sore muscles and rubbing gently.

He groans again, burying his face in the pillow. When she leaned into him, reaching back up towards his shoulders, her felt her stomach, felt her breasts graze his back, and in seconds he was hard again, throbbing against the mattress. But what she was doing with her hands, working out the sore muscles knotted by stress and tension, felt wonderful, and he was content to lay in the bed, "You're my weakness, I can't pretend that you're not anymore."

At his words, she paused, her fingers stopping their pleasurable work. A smile curved her lips, and she leaned forward, brushing her lips gently against his ear, "You're mine. I watch you at meetings and my knees get weak."

Cullen smiled at his words, his warm honey eyes closing as her fingers picked up their pleasurable work. She stayed where she was, perched on his back, her legs folded on each side of his hips, rubbing his muscles until the oil was rubbed into his skin. The bed shifted as she moved, reached for the bottle and she poured more oil into her palm, setting the bottle down and then starting to work on one of his arms. His lashes flickered as he looked up at her, and then his gaze followed her hands, watching her fingers as she dug into the muscles of his upper arm, and then his forearm. When her slick fingers started rubbing circles on his palm, and then rubbing each individual finger, until his hand was relaxed on the bed, he groaned, letting his head drop onto the bed once more.

By the time she finished his other arm and hand, his skin was tingling. He was relaxed, laying stretched out on his bed, as much as he was aroused, and he raised one hand to catch one of hers, pressing a kiss to the center of her palm, "You have extremely talented hands."

"Part of the job. Pick locks, pick pockets, rifle through people's secrets, give good back rubs" she smirked as she stretched out on her side against him, one hand lazily trailing up and down his back.

He laughed, rolling to his side to face her, and then leaning over her, capturing her fingers in his, bringing them to his lips. Tender kisses were pressed into her palm, and he nipped at her finger tips, watching as chills broke out across her skin, "Are you always so sensitive?"

It took her a moment to respond, her eyes growing hazy with arousal as he kissed and nipped and bit his way across her hand and up the inside of her arm, "I don't know. This doesn't generally happen."

"I see…" he lips trailed over her shoulder, and then up to her ear, where his teeth sunk in with more force than he had nipped at her fingers. She gasped and arched, her body rubbing against his, "You smell like me."

"It's from the oil."

"Hmmm.. and from sleeping in my bed."

"That too. I'm going to have to take a bath later on."

"No", his lips skimmed over one breast, nuzzling into the soft curves, his tongue licking a hot trail over her nipple, making her gasp, "Stay like this."

"People will talk."

"You've been up here since last night, if they're going to talk, let them talk about something worthwhile", he groaned as his fingers coasted over the folds between her legs. She was swollen, tender from the previous time, but she was already slick with want, coating his fingers as they ghosted over her skin, "How is it that I want you again already?"

"I give good back rubs." Her hips arched into his hand, pressing herself harder against him, her feet sliding across his bed.

"You do. And you whimper my name, and you wrap yourself around me, and you're so incredibly wet. And tight" he cursed, his eyebrows coming together as he slid two fingers into her depths, his thumb rubbing over her clit.

"Cullen…"

"That, right there. That's what I like to hear" he grinned wickedly, leaving her breasts and trailing his tongue over her ribs, down her stomach, his shoulders spreading her thighs apart.

"Cullen" his name was almost a whine as he slid down her body, her back arching from the bed and towards his mouth.

"Next time you say my name", with one hand he spread her legs further, leaning in to drag his tongue over her, flicking it against her clit, "… Scream it."

Talise had both hands pressed to her mouth, trying to keep her moans and whimpers contained as he continued to lick her folds, his fingers sliding in and out of her body. One of his large hands slid down her leg, lifting it over his shoulder, lifting her hips up from the bed and towards his mouth. It was just a few licks, just a few passes of his tongue over her clit, and she was screaming, her back arching from the bed as her vision went white. Spasming around his fingers, her hands fell from her mouth and she screamed his name, her fingers digging into the sheet and anchoring her to the bed.

He was drunk on her, Cullen was sure. The taste and feel of her had gone to his head. He groaned as she screamed, uncaring that anyone awake in the keep, and close to his quarters, could hear her. Once she relaxed on the bed, her thigh falling from his shoulder, he held it in place with his hand, continuing his pleasurable work. Talise moaned above him, her hands sliding down to his head, her fingers curling around the hand that held her thigh in place, the other fingers sliding into his hair. At the same time he sucked her on her clit, his amber gaze drifted up her body, her head was thrown back, hair in wild disarray across the bed, and her eyes were shut. She whimpered, her hips pressing against his mouth and fingers, and he groaned in response, pressing his hips into the mattress beneath them, rubbing his swollen length against the bed, desperate for any relief, at the same time he brought her to another peak.

Her throat was hoarse when she cried out this time, and broke. Small toes slid against the sheets as writhed on the bed, squirming underneath his hands, her hips pushing against his while she squeezed his fingers so hard he could not move them within her. When she relaxed on the bed, panting, he was sitting on his knees between her splayed thighs, one hand on his swollen cock, stroking it in sure, but slow movements, his eyes hungry as they watched her.

For a moment she merely watched, his calloused hand sliding up and down his length, and her lips parted on a sigh. The next time his hand moved up his length, she moved, sitting up and he reached for her with his hand. She moved to her knees, as he stretched his legs out in front of him, and once he was settled, she straddled his hips, her arms curling around his shoulders, her fingers sliding into his hair and running through it.

Cullen's eyes slid closed, and he leaned back on his arms when she played with his hair, a groan rumbling from his chest. His hips pressed against hers, almost frantic with the need for release, and Talise whimpered, answering his motion with hers. Just as he would give in, and plead with her, small fingers wrapped around his length, and Talise leaned her head down to look, watching as she positioned his length against her opening. Her eyes lifted to his, holding his amber gaze with her summer bright one, as she sunk down onto his length.

Strong, powerful hands wrapped around her thighs, lifting her slightly, and Talise squealed when he wrapped her legs around his waist. She slid lower onto his cock, he was deeper than he had been, and she could barely breathe for a moment. The position meant she couldn't move much, but she started to rock and squirm against him, whimpering as she did so. Cullen groaned, burying his face in her shoulder, his large hands cupping the curves of her ass and holding her to him, his hips started to lift from the mattress, pushing deeper inside of her.

"Talise, I'm not going to last long…" he groaned out the words, pushing into her in small movements, rocking her body gently with each thrust.

"Me neither…" she was too sensitive still, and already she was shuddering, losing their rhythm, only to gain it again when he pulled her to him. Her nails raked down his back, digging into the muscle and leaving deep furrows.

"Maker… you're so tight…" he groaned the words, pushing into her harder, while tugging her to him, hissing in pain as she dug her nails into his back.

"Cullen…" she whined the words out, her legs shaking. She could feel her slickness leaking from her, wetting the tops of her thighs each time their bodies pressed together, "You're so deep.. I can't.."

"I've got you… let go love…" he murmured the words in her ear, nipping at her skin and then sucking skin marked by his teeth into his mouth. He continued to rock her onto his length in slow, steady surges, pulling her to him as his hips pressed into hers from the mattress. When she started to shudder, he moaned, feeling her tighten around his length, and he pulled her hips to hers, burying his length inside of her.

When he was as deep as he could possibly go, it tipped her over the edge, and she trembled in his arms, her body squeezing around his length in deep, rhythmic pulls, whimpering his name. Cullen responded to it, lifting his hips up from the mattress and pressing hard into her, his eyes closing as his climax overtook him. Long moments later, Talise lifted her head from his shoulder, her body shaking with aftershocks, and gently Cullen kissed her, his lips lingering over hers as he moved, tipping her back onto the mattress. Once he settled onto it beside her, he wrapped a muscular arm around him, pulling her small frame to his, and wrapped his fingers around hers, pressing kisses to the scar that ran across the back of her hand, silvery in the light filtering in through the open spot in his roof.

"Does it always feel that way?" She looked up at him, her eyes wide with wonder. Already small bruises and scrapes dotted her neck and shoulders, proof of Cullen's affections.

The sight brought a smile to his lips, and he shook his head no, "No. Never. I have never felt this way about anyone. And it has never been like that before."

Grinning, she buried her face in his shoulder, burying her face in his chest. One slim leg tangled with his, and she curled up against his side. The arm around her back tightened, pulling her to him, and he sighed, his golden lashes falling closed, "Will you stay with me Talise?"

"As long as you want me here." A soft kiss was pressed to his muscled chest, and she rested her head over his heart, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart, and the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

"Forever. I want you here forever." Sighing, Cullen relaxes back onto the mattress, smiling as his breathing evens and he drifts off to sleep. He still dreamt through the last of the night, but every time he jerked awake, or shifted uneasily in his sleep, Talise was there. She whispered to him, promising her love to him, her loyalty, telling him how much she admired him. Uncaring of the whispers and gossip that would await them in the morning, Talise stayed with him, falling asleep, and waking only when Cullen needed her, staying pressed against his frame through until well after the sun had rose.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so sorry for the long time in updating. I suffered from Too Much Storyline Syndrome, followed by Must Stay True to Canon At All Times Illness. It took several weeks for me to figure everything out.**

 **Thanks to Kat, for reminding me that this is -my- story, and to write it in what ever order, with what ever storyline I see fit. And for kicking my ass when I struggle with homeschooling.**

 **This is for Tara. Because Alistair is your favorite. And because I'm fairly certain we have giggled over Alistair and Cullen's endowments at least once. You're an awesome person and Mama, and never let anyone tell you otherwise.**

 **This is a fairly short chapter, but the next chapter or so I intend to fully fill out Talise's backstory. And then we'll start hunting red templars and Corypheus.**

Talise sat on the top of one of the towers of Skyhold, leather-clad legs dangling over the stone edge, leaning back on her arms. The wind toyed with the ends of her hair, whipping the chocolate dark, silken strands back and forth in the breeze as she almost motionless, her gaze tracing over the mountains before her.

"I knew I'd find you up here." Amelia's voice proceeded her steps, not quite as light as Talise's, but she stepped quietly.

The assassin did not lift her sky-bright gaze, but kept it firmly locked on the mountains, "I thought you'd be in the library with Valissia".

"We haven't had much time together since I got here, I thought to come spend some time with you." Amelia ran a hand over Talise's head affectionately, looking out at the view before them, but also giving Talise plenty of space. Long years of freedom had taught Amelia that Talise craved space and quiet to think in, as much as she did affection.

After a moment, Talise scooted slightly over, leaving enough room for Amelia to sit with her in between two of the stone merlons atop the tower. The storm mage eased onto the edge, slipping her booted legs over and kicking them slightly, leaning over and looking at the drop, "Maker… that is a long drop."

"It is.." Talise looked over at Amelia, her gaze inscrutable as always, hinting at secrets, but giving nothing away.

Heaving a sigh, Amelia leaned against one of the merlons atop the tower, "Alright, what is going on in that head of yours?"

"Lots of things", Talise sighed, her head drooping as she spoke, her fingers twisting the ties on her shirt back and forth.

"Talise, you have the affection of a handsome man. We are safely tucked in this tower, and little by little, we are winning the war. What is going on?", She was careful to keep her tone light, but Amelia did not look away from Talise, patiently waiting for the assassin to reveal what was bothering her.

"What happens after?", Talise flicked her bright gaze to Amelia, and then looked back out at the mountains, her feet kicking gently back and forth as she did so.

"After is too long to think about. Focus on the here and now."

"Who am I?"

Amelia blinked, her emeraldine eyes wide for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"Does he love me? Or does he love who I think I am?", Talise barely spoke the words, barely breathed them out, as if speaking the words would give tangible life to her fears. Her gaze darkened as she spoke, her fingers twisting the ties on her tunic into small knots.

"Ahhhh… I see." Amelia took a deep breath, nodding her dark golden head, "You've lived two separate lives for years now. And you're having a hard time reconciling them."

Talise cannot keep from wincing, as Amelia arrowed straight to the heart of her discontent, "Exactly. What if I put everything together, and he doesn't love who I am?"

"Cullen isn't some starry-eyed romantic with no understanding of how the world works little love. He knows what you do, knows how you do it. I don't think that will happen." Gently Amelia leaned over, nudging Talise with her shoulder for emphasis.

"And if it does?" the question seemed to hang in the air, Talise's voice soft, but trembling with emotion at the same time.

"I'll kill him", Amelia grinned as she spoke, but there was meaning there. She would fully repay anyone who harmed Talise, or Valissia.

With an irritated snort, Talise turned to Amelia, a frown marring her features, "I'm serious Amelia."

"So am I", Amelia turned, pulling one leg up to her chest and letting the other dangle over the edge of the tower, "Your fears cannot keep you back. It is not healthy to keep everything so separate. I am Amelia, I am a Daughter of the Storm, I am a mage. I like candy and books. I am all of those things, all the time."

"Chocolate is better than those sugar candy things." Talise's frown smoothed, but did not completely leave her features as she spoke.

Long tresses of gold and honey swayed as Amelia shook her head at her friend, "No. We're not having that argument. Be all of you, all the time. That includes…."

"No. No. No. That belongs to Jordan." Talise's eyes widen and she shakes her head violently no at Amelia's words, her skin turning even more pale than usual.

"Jordan is gone. He would not want that title to end. With it, you can protect all of us back home. Without it, we fall back on the mercy of the King." Amelia waited for several moments before speaking again, until the shiver that shook Talise's hands had passed.

"Alistair would not see us all torn from our homes." Once more a frown wrinkled Talise's forehead and drew her eyebrows together.

"Listen to me. Alistair is a good man, with a good heart. Who is surrounded by a bunch of men who will put their own wants and needs ahead of what is best for Ferelden. Nightreach is a prize now, a keep rebuilt by a bunch of commoners", Amelia shook her head at Talise, gesturing towards the courtyard at Skyhold for emphasis, "Like here. Except here is up in the mountains. There is no protection for Nightreach."

At Amelia's words, Talise nodded, one hand rubbing at the spot in between her dark eyebrows, "The Couslands have been eyeing it since the Storm Raiders took it over."

"Exactly. And that keep stood empty for hundreds of years. No one wanted it until we all rebuilt it. If you do not take the title Alistair gave Jordan, who knows who will claim it." Amelia leaned back against the merlon opposite Talise, and rested her chin on her knee.

"Amelia, the landsmeet will never accept me." Talise sighed, her fingers going back to tying the laces to her tunic shirt in knots again.

Sensing that she had the advantage, Amelia leaned forward, her gaze intense as she spoke, "Why not? The title is hereditary, you are the last living Montgomery. Alistair made Jordan to a Bann. And now Jordan is gone. Does he have any children we do not know about?"

Talise shook her head no, twisting her hair into a loose knot and leaving it on the base of her neck, "I have looked everywhere, but no. Either he was extremely careful, or extremely lucky."

"Then you're it Talise. You are the rightful Bann, and it's time for you to take your place." Even as she spoke, Amelia moved to sit behind Talise, combing her fingers through the assassin's dark hair with gentle affection.

"You're ignoring I'm also the Ghost of Ferelden." Talise answered darkly, her gaze going back to the mountains.

"Talise, you can be both. You can be the Ghost of Ferelden and Bann. You can be Talise and Ghost…" Amelia continued to run her fingers through Talise's hair, gently working tangles out of the dark, silken strands.

"You can be Ferelden and Rivaini", Valissia's voice interrupted Amelia's, the redheaded mage walking with a fair amount of caution towards the other two women, "Andraste's knickers… do you have to sit on the highest point in the keep?"

"Highest point is actually the Herald's room, I believe." A cheeky grin curled Amelia's lips as she looked over her shoulder at Valissia.

"We are not talking about the balcony in Christopher's quarters. We are talking about Talise. Amelia is right Talise, it's time for you to be all of you, at the same time." Valissia shook her head no as she eased down beside Amelia, keeping her feet well from the edge of the tower wall. As always, she was perfectly dressed, her fiery tresses twisted up in to a braid on the top of her head.

"Jordan was both Ferelden and Rivaini when he swore fealty to Alistair and took the title of Bann. Our fathers were all mercenaries, and they were knighted." Amelia nodded in agreement to Valissia, leaning back against the spirit mage.

"After dying at Ostagar." There is a bitterness to Talise's words that she could not hide, even a decade after the loss of her father.

Amelia sighed and bit her tongue for a moment, her fingers continuing their gentle path through Talise's hair, "If Alistair wills it, the landsmeet will accept you as Bann. It's not like you're proposing marriage to Alistair."

"I think if Alistair stood up and willed it, they would accept you as his Queen." Valissia leaned her forehead against Amelia's shoulder, sighing as she did so.

"That's going a bit far. Princess-Consort maybe." Amelia grinned, her shoulders shaking with laughter she tried to keep hidden.

"Why on earth are we talking about me marrying Alistair?" Talise turned, her eyes wide as she looked at the two mages, who both looked back at her, wearing matching grins.

"We got side-tracked." Amelia grinned unrepentantly.

"And you've seen him naked." Valissia added, biting her lip as soon as she said the words. The story surrounding Talise getting proof of a rebellion with Ferelden to Alistair had grown into near myth in the two years since it happened; but she loved nothing more than to needle the assassin about the true details.

"Just because I saw him naked, once, means he's suitable for marriage?" Even the knowledge that her friends were distracting her from her thoughts with talk of Alistair, did not keep the exasperation from Talise's voice.

"Ooooh! I've always wondered. Is he…" Amelia let the sentence hang, holding her fingers just an inch or so apart.

"No. He's hung like a damn horse." The battle between irritation and amusement ended quickly, and Talise snorted, starting to giggle as she answered Amelia.

At Talise's response, Amelia sighed theatrically, "Of course he is. Handsome. Well-endowed. It's not fair."

"You have Michel." Valissia laughed, her shoulders shaking with mirth at Amelia's overwrought, and faked sigh.

She shook her head no as she spoke, looking over her shoulder at Valissia, "I don't have Michel. We take walks together. And he brings me books."

"And you tied a pink hair ribbon around the hilt of his sword yesterday morning, and called it a favor. Don't think I didn't see you." Talise smirked, rising to her feet with an effortless sort of grace, her movements sending her dark hair tumbling down her back in disarray.

"Have you and he?" Valissia lifted a dark auburn brown at Amelia in question, her stormy eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"No. I am still as pure as the driven snow." Amelia frowned in irritation, "He wants to court me. Wants to do things right."

"And you?" Talise held a hand down to Amelia, and pulled the storm mage to her feet.

Amelia's green gaze darted to the courtyard, where the object of her lust was training soldiers, "Do you think if I showed up in his quarters naked he would make his move?"

"Iron Bull suggested Talise do that to Cullen once." Valissia laughed, dusting her skirts off as she stood.

"Ooh! Speaking of Cullen... is he….?" Distracted from the slowness of her growing relationship with the Orlesian chevalier, Amelia turned to Talise, holding her fingers apart for emphasis, clearly wanted more details.

Talise burst into giggles, shaking her head at her friends, who now both regarded her with the same curious gaze, "Amelia! You're incorrigible! I am not discussing my private life with you. Or Valissia."

"It's not far you know, you're both with someone, and I don't get details." Amelia's gaze slid back to Michel, although from her spot on the tower he was a tiny figure, she watched him with an avid look that gave away her thoughts.

"Have you at least experienced what it is Orlesian's do with their tongue that is so popular yet?" Talise grinned at Amelia, enjoying it as she turned the tables on Amelia.

"He's hinted at it. But he hasn't done it yet." Amelia gritted out the words, raking a hand through her golden tresses. She had been escorted back to the room she shared with Talise and Valissia, although neither of them was in it frequently, many times, her lips swollen from kisses, her hair mused from the chevalier's fingers, her body aching for his touch. Every time though, he had kissed her gently one more time, and tucked her safely within her room, "Can being deprived of a man's affections drive you insane?"

"Poor thing." Valissia giggled, her cheeks heating in a blush, "And no. You won't go crazy. Talise gets irritable though. Before her and Cullen… I could not stand to be around her."

"Hush it. Both of you" The smile she wore took the bite out of her words, and Talise walked to the steps that lead out of the tower.

"I will say it again… it's not fair." As Amelia stuck her hand in her pocket, her fingers brushed against a letter, and she remembered why she had come up to the abandoned tower, looking for Talise. The humor and mischief in her sparkling green gaze darkened, and she withdrew the folded letter, "I got a letter from Patrick this morning. You need to read it."

Her summer bright gaze, always so perceptive, took in the darkening of Amelia's features, and Talise reached for the letter, gently unfolding it. Her own features collapsed into a frown as she reads the words, holding the parchment so Valissia can read the letter over one shoulder, "Maker's hairy balls. Why this? Why now?"

"You know why. You're here. The Couslands have been wanting the keep and land since the Storm Raiders took it over and rebuilt all of it." Valissia answers Talise, cursing under her breath as she takes the letter from Talise and re-reads it, "So Fergus and Tegan Guerrin have been to Nightreach Hold. They're planning something."

"And that something puts Nightreach Hold under the control of either Highever, or Redcliffe." Talise's gaze darkened and she scowled at the letter, as if the parchment had personally offended her. The idea that her home, the home her father and his men had rebuilt from ruins, turning it into a home for all their children and men, provoked a dark anger from the assassin.

Amelia nodded in agreement, gesturing down to the letter Valissia held, "You have been avoiding this for months. But if you want to live a whole life, you cannot ignore this any longer."

"And it's time Talise. You need to pull all the pieces of your life together", Valissia resting her cheek on Talise's shoulder, curling an arm around the assassin's waist, "This is part of your life."

"Fine. Valissia, can you go find Christopher? The Herald and his advisors need to know what is going on." Talise's gaze lifted to Cullen's quarters, and she heaved a sigh, her teeth sinking into her lower lip, "I had hoped to explain this to Cullen before I made a decision."

"Jordan worked with him at the Conclave, and at Haven. I'm sure he knows little love", Amelia followed Talise's gaze, stepping up to stand beside her friend, "He probably did not say anything out of concern for you."

"It would be nice to talk about this with him before hand." Her booted feet stay where she stood, suddenly rooted to the stones of the rampart.

"Then stop keeping so many secrets Talise", Amelia turned, stepping back down the stairs towards the main hall of the keep, her fingers tugging through her hair, pulling at the tangles within her golden strands.


	10. Chapter 10

It took over an hour to get the Herald and his advisors into the war room, along with Valissia and Amelia. Michel stood behind Amelia, the storm mage having walked in with him, ignoring the pointed look of curiosity from her friends. Valissia, Amelia and Michel stood closer to the doors, while Talise stood next to Christopher, across the war table from the advisors. Despite the length of time it has taken, Talise had been unable to get a moment alone with Cullen; and the realization that he was going to learn what the letter contained, and what it meant for Talise, along with everyone else, made Talise's heart twist on itself.

The letter from Amelia's brother sat on the war table, everyone had read it and passed it around as Talise had spoken. In return for saving Alistair's life during a small skirmish against darkspawn, Jordan had been rewarded with a title. Nightreach Keep, the aging fortress rebuilt by the Storm Raiders in the years before the Blight, and the land around it, was given to Jordan, with the full support of the freeholders living there, and Jordan was raised to a Bann. Jordan, in return, had sworn fealty directly to King Alistair himself, and the bann answered to only the King. Alistair had left the keep; run by Amelia's brother Patrick, to its own devices, and it was now a thriving, fortified keep. The freeholders, mostly descendants of the Storm Raiders and their families, were fiercely loyal to the Montgomery siblings.

"Jordan died with no heirs", Josephine finished, leveling a calculating gaze at Talise across the war table.

The assassin shook her dark head in answer, her eyes tracing over the Ferelden side of the map, "None. I searched everywhere for a child, I felt the title should go to even an illegitimate child of Jordan's first."

"I questioned Jordan about that when he came to the Conclave, what would happen if he had no heirs to pass the title to", Cullen's warm amber and honey gaze lifted from the map to Talise as he spoke, "He made a joke about saddling his sister with it. I had no idea at the time he meant you."

"That sounds just like him", a smile lifted Talise's lips, but her gaze stayed locked on Cullen. She had rarely taken her eyes from him as she spoke, fear shining in her gaze the entire time. Revealing her secrets left her feeling raw, and as much as she disliked feeling vulnerable, she was terrified that Cullen would turn away from her.

Cullen's heart squeezed hard every time he saw the fear in her gaze. It was the same look she had worn the morning she faced judgment from Christopher, and it had hurt him to see it then; but now it was painful to meet her gaze. He knew she was waiting for his anger, for his condemnation, and despite his frustration with her ability to keep secrets, he knew he could not be angry with her. Her world had exploded when the Conclave did, and she was trying to pick up the pieces. There was no way, in the middle of the war room, to explain his feelings to her, even as he knew he needed to tell her.

"Why is the Arl of Redcliffe and the Teryn of Highever suddenly so interested in a small Bann on the coast?", Leliana mused, her fingers running over the spot where Nightreach Hold stood, almost exactly halfway between Highever Caste and the city of Amaranthine.

"The keep stood abandoned, the land left fallow, for hundreds of years. It's been rebuilt, there are farms there, the keep itself holds a considerable number of men-at-arms". Bright eyes traced over the map as Talise spoke.

Christopher nodded in agreement to Talise's words, "It's a fully fortified and stocked keep, surrounded by arable land and pastures. Any lord would want it."

"Is that why Alistair raised Jordan to a bann like he did? To offer protection?", Josephine was writing furiously as the others spoke, making notes to read over later.

"In part. Both Fergus Cousland and Tegan Guerrin had been around, snooping, a few times since Alistair was crowned. The Keep technically belonged to Amaranthine, but the Warden-Commander had relinquished all claim to it. Which made it a keep pretty much owned and supported entirely by free-holders", Talise raked a hand through her loose hair, and heaved a deep sigh. Once more, her summer bright gaze lifted to Cullen, and she chewed on her lip, the movement betraying her nerves.

"And that was something the nobles in Denerim would not tolerate for long." Cullen mused, his fingers tracing over the coastline of Ferelden. When he looked up from the map, his warm honey gaze caught Talise's bright one, and he smiled, the scar that cut down to his lip lifting as he did. She was still the same women he had come to know, through letters and talks and long nights spent in his room, she still sucked the air from his lungs when she walked into the room, and made his knees weak when she smiled.

"By swearing fealty to Alistair directly, that meant that all threats against it would be answered directly by the King." Leliana could not help the smile that curled her mouth, the maneuvering that Jordan had done was impressive. The lengths the fallen warrior had gone to spoke to his skill in maneuvering the politics of Alistair's court, as well as his love for his younger sister, now standing across the war table, "Thus placing Nightreach out of the reach of anyone else. It was a brilliant move on your brother's part."

Josephine nodded, sighing as she looked across at Talise, "But now… unless an heir steps forward, it would revert back to a royal holding. And from there who knows."

"I do not think Alistair would let it fall into the hands of someone who would strip it to nothing" Valissia spoke then, as she stepped forward to stand behind Talise, "It's my home too, Talise shouldn't have to carry this alone."

"I don't either. Alistair is an honorable man." Cullen drummed his gloved fingers against the table, as he nodded in agreement with Valissia.

Without taking his eyes from the map, Christopher stretched a powerful arm out, slid it around Valissia's waist, and drew the flame-haired mage to his side, "None of you will carry this burden alone. The Inquisition can station soldiers there, as protection."

"No. That will be interpreted poorly in Denerim. The nobles would be able to declare it an act of war." Josephine shook her head emphatically.

"We cannot leave Nightreach unprotected and vulnerable. Without anyone claiming the title, it is in flux, and the nobles in Denerim will not let that stand for long", Christopher argued, frustration evident in his features.

"I agree. Talise is an agent of the Inquisition, as are Valissia and Amelia. We would respond this way if Horsemaster Dennet's home was threatened", Cullen added, his gaze tracing over Talise. He wanted to do what Christopher had done with Valissia, to pull Talise to him. She had struggled with this part of her life since setting foot in Skyhold and learning of Jordan's death. In the dark of night, when she cried in the chapel, he had learned that Talise was next in line for Jordan's title, and that she was afraid of taking it. She would be thrust out of the shadows, and into the court at Denerim, leading a motley crew of fiercely loyal freeholders. This time, Cullen knew there was no place to take her, to hide her from the responsibilities she faced, and his heart ached as Talise's shoulders drooped, and she buried her face in her hands.

"No. It would be seen as outright aggression on the part of the Inquisition. My agents in Denerim tell me that the nobles grow more uneasy with the Inquisition working in Ferelden every day." Leliana shook her head, sighing as she looked at Talise, "I'm sorry Talise, I know you do not want the title, but there is little choice."

"I either take it or the keep and everyone in it is at risk. My father and his men built that keep back up from the ground. They died to protect it. I will burn it to the ground before I let it fall into the hands of some pampered, spoiled noble who would strip of it everything we've worked for", Talise spoke the words, her eyes glittering with determination and a rush of anger.

"That's my girl", Amelia smiled from her spot, resting one pale golden cheek against Michel's shoulder. The Orlesian chevalier stood quietly, his steely gaze following the conversation, but returned to Talise; so much hinged on her actions, and the weight seemed too much to carry for the small-statured assassin, even supported by her friends.

"Talise, if Alistair swore that he would protect the bann and the keep, and the people within it, holding it in trust until you decide what to do, would that work?" Michel spoke then, his accent thickening his words.

"Maybe. Tegan and Fergus have Alistair's ear though, and he may well listen to them at some point in time. Alistair is a good man, with the best of intentions, but he has surrounded himself with men who do not always act in his best interest, but their own", Talise looked over her shoulder, smiling gratefully at Michel.

"In addition, the nobles are afraid of Talise. They made the mistake of using the same assassin in their plots and schemes against one another, and now she knows all their secrets. They might look for any opportunity to weaken her", Leliana spoke, her icy gaze tracing over the map and then lifting to Michel, "Alistair is an honorable and good man, at heart. I knew him during the Blight. But he is leading how others want him to, not how he should."

"Well then, I think we had best prepare for Talise's departure for Denerim", Michel responded, a smile lifting his lips, "You'll be Bann Talise when you return."

"It won't be any time soon" Josephine interrupted, looking up from the notes she had written, "According to Ferelden custom, Talise must present herself to Alistair and announce her intention of claiming the title. Although at present I think a letter would be acceptable. Terms must be negotiated, and once they've reached an agreement, then she will go to Denerim to swear fealty."

"The terms will be the same as what Jordan had. I will swear fealty to only Alistair. I don't trust Tegan and Fergus", Talise's bright gaze, surrounded by heavy lashes, glinted with stubbornness and determination.

"Lady Talise Montgomery" Valissia spoke then, testing the name, fighting back laughter, "It sounds ridiculous."

"Oh Maker. I hate the sound of that", Talise shivered, chills racing down her spine, "And this is saying the nobles will accept me."

"They accepted Jordan." Amelia had yet to lift her cheek from Michel's shoulder, but her emeraldine eyes gleamed with intensity as she spoke, belying the softness of her stance.

"Jordan was not an assassin. And he was serving on the royal guard. He had saved Alistair's life." Talise arched an eyebrow at her friend as she looked at Amelia, her bright gaze flicking back to Michel's face and then to Amelia's. The open affection Amelia was showing the Orlesian chevalier had not gone unnoticed, although Talise was too occupied to address it now.

"So did you. The rebellion would have seen him dead and that twit Anora back on the throne", Amelia retorted, finally lifting her cheek from Michel's shoulder, the better to argue with her friend.

"If it's your heritage you're worried about, they accepted Jordan. There are several Banns who are not pure Ferelden right now." Valissia spoke from the comfort of Christopher's side, blanching when she realized she has revealed another secret Talise has kept, "Andraste's ass. I forgot no one knows."

"Knows what?" Cullen spoke the words, but all three advisors looked at Talise, as did the Herald, questions evident in their gaze.

"Thank you Valissia, I appreciate it", Talise shot Valissia dark look, before heaving a sigh, her slim fingers twisting the hem of her tunic shirt in her fingers. She did not look the part of nobility, a simple tunic, left untied, hung off one smooth shoulder, untucked over leather leggings and a pair of scuffed black boots, "My mother was from Rivain. The nobles must accept the half-Rivaini, daughter of a mercenary, who happens to be an assassin, if I'm to be bann."

For a moment, the silence in the war room is deafening, and Talise winces, closing her eyes, her head bowing. She was aware that everyone was looking at her, and she ducked her chin, hiding her face behind a curtain of dark hair, the candlelight sending shimmering streaks of red through the tresses she was hidden behind.

"You don't look Rivaini…" Christopher said bluntly, "And the Rivaini have tattoos, don't they?"

"I favor my father's side of the family, he was Ferelden. And I've never wanted to be tattooed, the needles they use are unsettling." A shiver ran down Talise's frame at the mention of the tattoos, chills breaking out across her smooth skin.

"You're afraid of needles?" Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Cullen could not help but keep the smirk off his lips. Ferelden's most feared assassin was afraid of needles, a very absurd thing to be fearful of.

Dressed as she was, short as she was, Talise was not intimidating, even as she glared at Cullen from behind a waterfall of dark hair, "I'm not afraid of them."

"Yes, she is. She almost passed out when Jordan had that tattoo inked into his arm", Valissia grinned at Talise from around Christopher's arm, using the Herald as a shield from the assassin's dark glare.

"Can we not talk about my fears and focus on the problem?" Talise gritted her teeth, "Are the nobles going to accept me, as I am, all of me? Or will this be for naught?"

Leliana shrugged, one shoulder lifting, "If they accepted Jordan, they likely yes. Also, if Alistair wills it, they will give. There is only one way to find out though."

The glare faded from her face, and she heaved a sigh, her gaze turning back to the map once more, and the spot where the keep stood. In bringing together the sides of her life, she was giving up the mantle of Ghost of Ferelden, it would bring more danger to her family and friends, and those who would depend on her, "I need to write to Alistair and tell him of my intentions to claim the title and Nightreach."

"If that is what you want to do, then yes." Josephine nodded, writing down a small thought, "I will start planning for the event."

"The Inquisition is going?" Cullen blinked once, twice, dark golden lashes obscuring his gaze for a moment, as he fought to hide his shock.

"I am going, for one. Talise is my friend, and I want to see her given her title", Josephine smiled innocently up at Cullen, although mischief sparkled in her eyes, "I could take some time off to go see this ceremony."

"As could I. I could leave the training of the Army in the hands of Michel." As the realization of what Josephine was up to dawned on him, Cullen smiled. They could not openly attend the ceremony as members of the Inquisition, but they could all attend as her guests.

"Ahhhh. No. I think I would prefer to go as a guest. That is, if I am invited", Michel smiled, shaking his head no at Cullen.

"I will need an escort to the ceremony." Amelia grinned up at him, her bright green gaze colliding with his steel and blue one.

"As will Valissia", as she watched the people in the room all figure out a way to come with her, a genuine smile had lifted Talise's lips, making her eyes sparkle, "Lord Trevelyan, I believe the honor falls to you."

"It's settled then. We are all taking some… time off. At the same time", Leliana chuckled, walking towards the doors of the war room.

"I will start on a plan for travel and accommodations along the way. I'm sure all the companions will want to attend. It's not every day that an agent of the Inquisition is given a title by the King of Ferelden", Jospehine was nearly giddy as she slipped out of the war room, walking with Leliana.

"Josephine", Leiliana whispered the words as the ambassador sat down in her office, "We need to find out what is going on in Denerim."

"You think Arl Tegan and Teryn Fergus are planning something?", Josephine looked up from notes she had made during the meeting, her gaze alert and focused.

"Yes. And so do you, I can see it in your eyes. Something is going on, and we need to get to the bottom of it" The spymaster shook her head as she walked away, "See what you can find out, and I will do the same. Talise may be able to find out on her own, but we should do some… research as well."

It took just a few moments for everyone to leave the room, but Talise lingered, running the tips of her fingers over the spot on the map that marked Nightreach Hold. Her eyes gleamed with a rush of emotion and affection for the improbable home she had, despite the circumstances surrounding it. She was aware of Cullen's presence as he stepped up behind her, so close she could feel the chill from his breastplate, "How mad are you?"

Cullen said nothing for long moments, instead he simply looked at Talise, studying the soft features of her face, the waterfall of her hair, shining in the light, the scar that ran across the back of her hand, the curve of one shoulder, bared as the wide neckline of her tunic slid down over it once more. Frustration surged within him, and he breathed in deeply, trying to force it back down, "Your secrets make it hard to protect you."

"I don't need protection." Long years of independence warred within Talise, fighting against her need for Cullen, and she glared up at him for a moment.

"Everyone in this castle needs protection. Corypheus and his agents will look for any opportunity to harm any of us. And you already have a long list of people who want revenge on you", Cullen raked his gloved fingers through his hair in frustration, mussing the carefully combed strands as he did so.

"I've been protecting myself. And Valissia. And Amelia, for years now Cullen. I've been looking over my shoulder since I turned 18", she protested, turning to look up at him, her gaze fierce with determination.

"I know that. And you've done a good job of it".

"Then why are you so insistent that you have to protect me?"

"Because I was the one that stayed with you the first night you got here. I was the one holding you when you cried for your brother. I was the one that prayed with you. I was the one you wrote to, I was the one you came to when you got back." His hands curled around his shoulders, powerful arms easily lifted her to her toes as he looked down at her, his own amber gaze dark with a rush of anger and frustration. It was not just anger that darkened his gaze, his feelings for Talise were obvious, as was fear.

All the fight fled Talise as she looked up at him, her fingers curling around his wrist, "Cullen…"

The words were tumbling out of him, everything he had held back for weeks now, months, "Because you came to me, bloody and bruised. Your blood stained my desk, I see it every day, did you know that?"

"No. I… I didn't..." She shook her head no at his words, her sky touched gaze wide as she looked up at him.

"Your risks don't just involve you anymore. I cannot lose you, not now. I am trying to protect you, and let you have your independence."

"Are you… Are you scared?" As his words echoed in the war room around them, she whispered her response, suddenly aware of the burn of tears at the backs of her eyes, and a lump in her throat.

He paused then, looking down at her fingers curled around his wrists, his hands holding her shoulders still, and then into her eyes, swimming with emotion. In one motion he curled his arms around her, pulling her to him, until he could bury his face in her soft hair, "Maker's breath. I worry every time you leave Skyhold."

"I always come back. You're carrying a heavier burden than I am." She sighed, leaning into his embrace, burying her face in the fur mantle of his surcoat.

He said nothing, one hand holding the back of her head, gloved fingers tangled in her dark tresses, the other hand splayed over her back, holding her to him. His amber eyes slid closed as he rested his cheek on the top of her head, breathing in the smell of water lilies from her soap. Holding her in his arms, he resolved to stand in the war room for as long as possible, and ignore the consequences, there was nothing as important as keeping her in his arms, and keeping Talise with him for as long as he possibly could.


	11. Chapter 11

**My apologies on the late update. I'm forced to admit my updates will be far more chaotic than organized, I simply cannot find the time to write.**

 **Also, Chapters 9-11 have not been beta'ed. I do not want to overwhelm my beta reader. If you're interested in beta reading for me, please let me know, I would welcome the help.**

 **Story Notes: The developers have said very little about the country of Rivain. I've seen people speculate that it's based on southern Spain, and I took my cues from there. I've given Rivain an Andalusian feel to it, and I will develop that more in the chapters to come. Talise speaks Rivaini, and I'm using Spanish for it.**

Talise's title, if Alistair would agree to the terms she had put forth, if she would go to Denerim to swear fealty, all of it was pushed to the back of Cullen's mind. Shortly after the meeting in the war room, Talise had left with several of the companions to meet a Qunari war ship, and finish up Inquisition business on the Storm Coast. Her absence from his quarters, from the keep, made his heart ache, he found himself standing on the ramparts, gazing out past the bridge, looking for any sign of the assassin atop her mount often during the day. At night he slept little, but when he did, nightmares tortured him, and he awoke to an empty and cold bed each time.

There was a mountain of paperwork on his desk, and he was doing none of it, instead he stared at the drops of crimson blood staining the wood. When Talise had staggered into his office one night, arm sliced to the bone from a Venatori blade, she had bled on his desk, and drops of crimson had soaked into the grain of the wood. One gloved hand reached for the spots, proof that she had been here, that her presence in his life was not just the product of some lyrium-withdrawal dream, and traced over them gently.

A knock sounded on one of the doors to his quarters, and he sighed, "Come in."

Valissia's head came into view, her fiery hair twisted into a perfect, braided bun atop her head, but the dark circles around her eyes testified to how badly she was taking the absence of the Herald and her friend. The spirit mage was not sleeping any better than Cullen, and had frequently seen candlelight in his quarters as she walked the courtyard at night, "I…."

"Is something the matter Valissia?" He knew that Talise wrote to her, and for a moment his heart constricted, squeezing tightly as fear seized him.

"No, everything is fine. I'm just… lonely. I thought maybe I could talk you into a game of chess", she stepped into his quarters, her stormy gaze going to the desk, and the spots of Talise's blood.

For a moment Cullen thought of telling her no, that he had work to do, but one look at the mage's face, her skin more pale than usual beneath a smattering of freckles, dark circles like bruises rimming her eyes, and he decided to ignore his work for the moment, "I could use the break."

They played one game of chess in near silence, both letting the focus on the game take away the stress of having those closet to them gone. By the second game, they were talking back and forth, and by the third they were laughing at each other, making jokes and teasing each other. It was a badly needed respite for them both.

"We have much in common, you and I", Valissia spoke, moving a piece across the board.

Cullen made a move as well, capturing a different piece on the board, "We do?"

She nodded as she moved another piece, her stormy gaze flicking over the board, "Yes. We're always the ones getting left behind"

"How do you do it? How do you watch her leave all the time?" The mage's words burrowed straight into Cullen's heart, which beat painfully against his ribs for a moment. Talise had left while he was in a meeting, having said her goodbyes quietly in his quarters. The moment he had stood in front of his desk, realizing she was gone, had hurt more than he had expected, she left an ache that rivalled the lyrium withdrawals that plagued him.

"Well, I don't love her like you do. I love her, but I don't look at her like she's the brightest star in the night sky", from underneath a forest of dark auburn lashes, Valissia's gray gaze watched Cullen carefully. Talise had been secretive, as usual, about her feelings, but she could read the commander far easier.

He flushed a deep pink at her words, his gaze dropping to the chessboard, "I wasn't aware anyone saw the way I looked at her."

"Anyone with half a brain and a working pair of eyes sees it Cullen. I understand why you were wish to keep it quiet, but know that you're doing a poor job of it", she smiled at him, sighing when he captured another piece, "Why did you have to take that one?"

"Because you beat me with it last time", he smiled at her, his amber gaze warm with humor.

"Fine. Be that way", she sighed, moving another piece on the board, "I know you're not sleeping well again. I see the candles in your room at night."

"Which must mean you're awake to see them", Cullen shot Talise a pointed look over the top of the chessboard, his amber eyes gleaming with knowledge.

Valissia flushed slightly, nodding at Cullen's words, "Touché Commander. I'm not sleeping well either. When all of this over, I'm going to sleep for a week straight."

"If I only I could sleep that long", the dark circles around his eyes testified that his sleeping problems had started long before Talise had left, long before the assassin had ever set foot in Skyhold.

"Talise told me of your lyrium withdrawal", her gray eyes were serious as she looked across the table at Cullen, "I may have some solutions for you. Or at least some things to help ease the symptoms. Which is why she told me, to try and help you."

He said nothing for a moment, his amber eyes wide with the realization that Talise had confided in Valissia. He was torn, he had not exactly told Talise to keep it secret, but he was not prepared to find out that she had confided in someone, even her best friend. His words were stilted when he finally spoke, "Thank you Valissia."

"My concern isn't completely altruistic." Her shoulders tensed briefly when he spoke, and she kept her tone deliberately light as she continued to study him from under the cover of her lashes.

"It's not?"

"No. Talise is more herself, less of Ghost, when you are around. You're good for her."

He smiled, relaxing in his chair once more, Valissia was both trying to help him, and to help Talise at the same time. She would not use the knowledge of his struggles with lyrium against him. A smile curved his lips as he shook his head at her words, "No. She is good for me."

"You are good for each other", when Cullen relaxed, so did Valissia, and she propped her chin on her hand as she stared at the board. The commander had pinned her into a corner of the chessboard, again, a favorite move of his, and now that he was accepting of her knowledge, she was able to concentrate on the board. Her auburn brows drew together in a frown as she realized he was likely to beat her once again.

"You're good for Christopher you know. I did not get to know him much before Haven, but he was struggling with the burden of the mark. And running things. He seems to have found some balance to his life", Cullen spoke, gazing intently at the chessboard.

Valissia turned bright red at the commander's words, the color deepening the smattering of freckles that topped her cheeks, "He's not what I expected."

"Neither was Talise. Something else we have in common", he spoke, moving another piece and then taking one of hers.

"I am sorry for blurting out Talise's heritage at a meeting. I know she wanted to tell you herself." Valissia heaved a sigh as he took a piece of hers, she chewed on her lip thoughtfully as she stared at the board.

Cullen waited patiently as Valissia looked over the board, his amber eyes taking the spirit mage in. She was not as boisterous as Amelia, not as stealthily quiet as Talise, but she had the softest touch of any of them. He had to tell his soldiers to stop bothering the redhead with every ache and pain, she healed any complaint they had, and oftentimes left the infirmary too exhausted to walk. At her words he shook his head no, disagreeing with her, "It was not your fault Valissia. There are things I need to tell her about me."

"I can't imagine what Kinloch Hold must have been like. And I was in Kirkwall several times, I know how chaotic things got." Valissia lifted her stormy gaze to his, sympathy evident in her gaze. She knew what had happened in Kirkwall, and as a mage, knew the horrors that had been unleashed within the tower better than most. Although she was afraid of the templars, and was often nervous around them, she trusted Cullen; she was also moved by her compassion, and an urge to make things better for anyone she knew, that included the commander.

Cullen nodded at her words, his fingers tightening around a chess piece for a moment, "Have you ever been in a circle?"

"No. My magic manifested itself when I was 10, and I stayed at Nightreach. The templars were not interested in battling the Storm Raiders, so they never came. I went to Rivain several times, and once Talise was… Ghost, I traveled with her." Tucking a loose strand of shimmering auburn hair behind her ear, she shook her head no at his words.

"It shouldn't surprise me that Talise was in Rivain. She seems Andrastian, and then at the same time, she seems like she isn't." Cullen frowned at the chessboard, Valissia had managed to get out of the trap he had laid on the chessboard.

"We all absorbed much of the Rivaini beliefs, but for Talise, it came naturally." With a triumphant grin, Valissia leaned back from the chessboard, watching the commander lean forward, his gaze sharp on the chessboard. For a moment a memory flickered to the surface, the hot nights in Rivain, the seers, answering never ending questions from three young girls. She had seen that same intent look Cullen wore, not on someone's face in Rivain, but in a dream, or a memory of one.

Cullen nodded, even as he kept his gaze on the chessboard, studying it with a focus born of long years of training as a templar, "The Circles must be reformed. I'm not sure I even believe every mage should be in them."

"Careful Commander, one might think you're a heretic", Valissia grinned at him, finally making her move. One final game, which Cullen won, and he went back to his office. He found it easier to concentrate, and over the next few days he found himself sitting across from Valissia several more times.

The rain on the Storm Coast was never ending. Talise had gotten used to being soaked to her skin by the time the day was done. This time though, she did not feel the cold rain soaking into her. She stood behind Christopher, and the Herald stood in between Iron Bull and Gatt, her bright gaze focused as she studied the coast.

A Qunari ship was supposed to meet them here, and they had just fought off a large group of Venatori agents. Talise slipped from her spot behind them, vanishing from sight and slipping off towards the forest behind them, intending to scout it one last time. Deep in conversation, no one saw her go, until Christopher looked over his shoulder at the companions, "Where is Talise?"

"She slipped back towards the forest, probably doing one last patrol", Blackwall points towards the tree line, as the assassin comes back into view.

"By herself?" Varric frowns, following Blackwall's hand back towards the trees, "Let's not tell Curly about this part."

"He's going to have to learn to let her go", Iron Bull rumbled in response, frowning as he scans the beach, studying the horizon for the Qunari dreadnought.

"Would you?" Varric looked over at Iron Bull, lifting a brow in question.

"If Iron Bull was in Cullen's shoes, Talise would likely be tied to the bed while he was gone." Varric grins wickedly as he watches Talise make her way back towards them.

Blackwall snorts a laugh, nodding in agreement, "With silken ropes."

"How about we not talk about Talise tied to a bed", Christopher spoke then, as he watched the horizon for the Qunari dreadnought.

"Would you prefer we talk about Valissia tied to a bed?" Iron Bull grinned, delighting in poking the Herald over the red-headed mage, "All that red hair, spread out over a silken pillow."

Christopher frowned, shaking his head at the question, "No. Not any better."

"They seem incredibly close" Iron Bull let the sentence dangle, grinning at Christopher.

"Are you inferring that the girls are…?" Blackwall lifted a dark eyebrow, barely able to contain his laughter.

"She's going to kill you if she hears you talking about this you know", despite his words, Varric laughed.

"If they do sleep together, I would kill to be the man in the middle of that", Blackwall smirked.

"So would I." Iron Bull nodded, folding his arms over his barrel chest, "A blonde, a redhead and a brunette. It's the holy trifecta."

"I'll drink to that back at Skyhold." Varric laughed, checking to make sure Bianca, his beloved crossbow, was loaded.

"Drink to what?" Talise appeared behind Varric, lifting a dark eyebrow in question.

"Ahhhh… getting warm again." Christopher flushed lightly, his olive complex hiding the flush that creeps over his cheeks. The other companions burst into laughter at the Herald's response.

Later the Herald and companions were deep in an argument with Gatt, the elf sent to them on behalf of the Qunari. Talise said nothing, but watched the argument intensify between the elf and the companions, stepping silently towards Iron Bull. She stopped just behind him, watching the horizon, the ship they were supposed to meet grew closer, and more Tevinter mages were gathering on the beach. Bull's mercenaries, the Chargers, would be in danger soon, and a decision had to be made. When the Qunari mercenary looked at her, and she caught a glimpse of pain in his gaze, Talise stepped from around him, her chin lifting as she looked up towards the Herald.

"Christopher", Talise spoke, waited a beat, and then repeated the Herald's name, "The Chargers have been loyal to us since the beginning."

"I know. But we lose the Qunari alliance if we save the Chargers."

"Some things are more important than alliances Herald", Blackwall spoke, his eyes dark as he watched the Chargers.

"You do this, you'll be Tal Vashoth", Gatt argued, pointing towards the Qunari ship, under heavy attack by Venatori mages.

"They're my men" Iron Bull gritted the words out, his gaze dark as it bounced from the Chargers to the Qunari dreadnought.

Talise looked pointedly at Christopher, folding her arms over her chest, "Blackwall is right. Some things are more important than an alliance."

Christopher nodded, heaving a sigh, "Call the retreat Bull. Save the Chargers."

Talise started to walk towards the beach, unsheathing the daggers strapped to her back, when Iron Bull stopped her, laying a hand on her shoulder, "What are you doing Bull? We can fight through the Venatori and save any survivors."

"There won't be any survivors", as Iron Bull spoke the words, the ship exploded, and he lifted a massive arm, shielding his face from the blast, while pushing Talise behind him with the other arm.

That night in camp, huddled around a fire as they tried in vain to dry out their gear, Talise sat next to Iron Bull. The Qunari warrior stared at the flames of the campfire, most quiet than usual, "Well hey there little love. I'm not good company right now."

"If I wanted to sit with someone and hear them wax poetic, I'd be sitting with Varric", Talise answered, bringing her knees up to her chest and propping her chin on one.

Iron Bull snorted a laugh at her comment, "You're here to cheer me up then."

She shook her head no at his words, keeping her gaze on the fire, watching the branches in it burn, "Nope. I'm here because I want to be here. Got a problem with me sitting here?"

"Let's talk then. Does Cullen call you little love?" disbelief evident in his tone, Bull looked down at Talise, folding his massive arms over his chest.

She can feel the blush that crept up her face, staining her cheeks a dark pink, "No. He doesn't. He calls me Talise."

Iron Bull did not seem surprised by her words, "Ahhhh... that explains the attraction then."

"What does?" Her brow furrowed at his words, and she looked up at him, her chin propped on her knees, long strands of hair cascading down around her back, light from the campfire making the strands sparkle with red and gold.

"You're not the Ghost of Ferelden to him. You're not Hale Montgomery's daughter, Jordan Montgomery's little sister, possible heir to a brand-new title."

"I'm not that to everyone here too." One slender arm lifted to gesture towards the group gathered around the fire. Varric was entertaining the Chargers and the other companions with a story, one of Hawke's misadventures in Kirkwall.

"Yes, but you don't look at Blackwall, or me, the way you look at Cullen. And he doesn't look at anyone the way he looks at you. We all see it." The Qunari warrior looked at the other companions, all listening spellbound to the surface dwarf. On any other night, he would be over there himself, laughing and talking, drinking too much ale; but tonight, things were too raw for the battle-hardened Reaver, and he had sat by himself.

She blushed again, her smooth cheeks turning a deep pink, "And we're changing the subject."

"Talise, I don't care who you do what with. But do not think you are fooling anyone, sneaking off to his quarters during the day, or staying there in the night and slinking out in the morning. You, Amelia and Valissia share a room in the keep, yet only one person sleeps in that room most nights", Iron Bull leans down, until his good eye is level with Talise's bright gaze, "Valissia is with Christopher. Amelia lusts after Michel and he tucks her into bed with courtly manners and good intent. But you're not in your bed at night, are you?"

The flush on her cheeks darkened further, and she chewed on her lip while looking up at the Qunari.

"You know, you're bringing the pieces of your life all together. And Cullen is a huge part of that right now. But he's not your salvation. Like I told you when you first got here, he's not the sunrise. He just taught you to look for it", Iron Bull stood, stretched his arms above his head, and then leaned down, dropping a massive arm around Talise's shoulders affectionately, "Thanks for the distraction."

"Sometimes doing the right thing is more important than who you swear loyalty to. I'll stand beside you in any fight Bull", she leaned into his arm, winding an arm around his neck for a brief hug.

"And I'll block a sword for you any time you need it." He let Talise go, and started to walk back towards the Chargers were sitting, "Got to get you back to the Commander in one piece."

Somehow, he was not quite sure exactly how, Cullen's quarters had been overrun with the research Valissia was working on, and within a day she was joined by Amelia. The two of them read books, made notes, sometimes argued about different magical theories, spells that might work in different situations, and were occasionally underfoot. He was never lacking for company though.

In return, Valissia and Amelia were gaining an impressive understanding of how the army trained, battle tactics, and what it took to run the army. Several times they had pointed out different ways of doing things, a new way of approaching a problem. Amelia would nearly bounce in her chair, her blonde curls swinging around her face, until he acknowledged her, Valissia simply waited until a calm moment, but could argue her point with an equal intensity. They also had meals delivered to his quarters, and soon had someone assigned to clean his quarters while they forced him to play chess or take a walk through the garden.

"I sense Talise's hand in this", Cassandra spoke from the doorway of Cullen's quarters, grinning as she saw the spot where both had been working on research. One corner of his office, a spot where the sun shone in through the window, now had a small table, which was heaped with books, reams of parchment sat in one chair, quills and bottles of ink decorated the empty spots on the table. It was a disaster, and more than one Cullen had made up his mind to clean it, only for the two mages to insist there was a point to the chaos.

He held a mug of hot tea, spiked with several herbs, in his palm, as he read over a report, and absorbed in his work he responded with a noncommittal murmur. In truth, he missed the company Talise had provided, she often forsook her spot in the rookery to sit with him, and when she left on a mission, his quarters had seemed emptier than ever.

"She sends her best friends to watch over you. They're turned your quarters into a virtual library on magic and healing, they make you eat meals, offer their opinions in the middle of meetings, and I've seen Amelia dragging you around the garden. And all you can say is hmmm?"

"I know what she did, and I know why she did it", Cullen answered, setting the cup of tea down to write something on the report, "And… I find I like it."

When the tawny-haired commander had muttered his enjoyment of the attention and friendship, Cassandra's grin had widened, her eyes twinkling with mirth, "You got used to having company here up here."

"I did. And I find I quite like having their company", Cullen picked up his mug, sipping at it and then setting it down with a look of disgust on his features, "That is… interesting."

Cassandra snorted a laugh at Cullen when he sipped the tea, "Valissia experimenting again?"

"Yes… and it's awful." His nose wrinkled at the mug, as if the mug itself had offended him. Valissia had been experimenting on him, using different spells, potions, and teas spiked with herbs, all in effort to find ways to ease his pain from the withdrawals, and the aches that came with it. In all honesty, he was feeling physically better, his joints did not ache as much, his head did not pound with frequent headaches; but the spirit mage could do nothing for his lonely heart.

"Talise makes one that is far better. Has all these spices from Rivaini in it. She uses it after she's had a particularly hard fight." Cassandra leaned against his desk, her fingers tracing over the crimson stains on Cullen's desk.

"You know gotten to know her well." To appear more casual about Talise than he truly feels, he spoke more to a report on his desk than he did Cassandra.

"I wouldn't say that. I know her, I know some of her secrets. Not all of them. Not nearly as many as you do." The Seeker's gaze lifted from the stains on his desk to Cullen's features, gleaming with a knowing look as she studied him.

Cullen felt a deep pink flush creep up his face and settle onto his cheekbones at the Seeker's words, one hand lifted to rub at the back of his neck. It was unnerving to know that his feelings were so easily seen, "I… I mean…."

"Look, we all know you're trying to keep it quiet. But that doesn't mean we don't all know. I knew the first morning she was here." Never one to shy away from something, Cassandra pointedly looked at Cullen, folding her arms over her chest.

"You… ahhh... you did?" One large hand rubbed at the back of his neck as his cheeks darkened further, flushing a deep red in embarrassment as Cassandra looked at him.

"I saw it when she stood for judgement. The entire court saw part of it, but she looked at you last. You were the last person she looked at, before making her decision."

At the mention of that morning, Cullen's amber eyes lifted towards the main keep. The memory of Talise, broken and hurting, demanding judgment for what she had done, still haunted him, especially at night, "I wanted to keep her safe. She was hurting, and I just wanted to make it better for her."

"Like I said, we all know. Some of us have known since she first got here." A blast from the horns at the main gate, beneath Cullen's quarters, sounded, and shouts went up, sparing Cullen from having to respond. A cheer started among the soldiers that were on guard at the main gate, the Herald and his companions had returned. Cassandra walked to the doorway, and stopped to grin at Cullen over his shoulder, "Speak of the devil. She has returned."

"And here I thought she was a ghost, and not a devil." Cullen followed Cassandra out of his quarters with a pounding heart, trying his best to appear as just the commander, and not like his heart had just crossed the bridge back into Skyhold, safe once more.

Talise slid from her mount, a tall, dark gray horse with heavily feathered feet, and heaved a grateful sigh. They had been out for longer than they expected, the Storm Coast was crawling with undead, and bandits. All her gear needed cleaning, her weapons badly needed to be sharpened, one dagger was working loose of its handle, her poison stocks were low, and she wanted nothing more than to see Cullen.

She had not expected to find that leaving Skyhold, leaving him, would leave her with an ache that hurt to her very bones. Her summer bright gaze had swung back to the Frostbacks more often than she wanted, she had written pages of letters to him, and received plenty back. There was some comfort to be had, Valissia and Amelia had promised to stay with Cullen: she had confided to them that Cullen had stopped taking lyrium, and the two mages had volunteered to pore through the library, looking for ways that would make the process easier. Still, she had been caught off guard by how badly she missed him, and had channeled that against every opponent they faced. She fought harder, faster, was more ruthless; like she had for years, she had channeled her emotions into her skills.

Standing in the muddy courtyard, she caught the jingle of mail, the clank of plate armor; as she took a breath a whiff of elder flower and oakmoss hung in the air, and chills raced down her arms. For a moment, tears burned in her gaze, and she heaved a breath into her lungs, looking up through a heavy fall of dark silken hair, to find Cullen standing just out of arm's reach, "Commander."

He sucked in a breath as he saw her, sliding from her horse. Suddenly his heart was thudding against his chest, "I've had some company the past few days".

"Oh?" Her question was light, as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. She was grateful for the scarf that covered the lower part of her face, it gave her something to hide behind as she looked up at him.

"I gather you sent Valissia and Amelia to keep me company?", the smile on his face faded away as he looked at her. She was wrapped in black leather armor, bristling with more daggers and knives than he thought possible. Over her face she wore a black scarf, drawn up to the bridge of her nose, and up over her high cheekbones; the lower portion of her face was obscured, leaving her bright eyes blazing out at him in shades of cerulean. With the hood of her cloak up over her head, he realized, she would be almost invisible, without using any of her skills.

Her heart pounded against her ribs, she wanted to throw herself into his arms, wanted to hide behind him from the world, wanted the comfort that she found in his arms. One hand slowly tugged the scarf that covered her face down, revealing the high cheekbones, the small, pointed chin, and leaving her nowhere to hide, "I did. Were they too much?"

"At times, yes", he nodded at her words, his fingers curling into fists to keep from reaching her, "But I appreciated the company. After you left, my quarters seemed too… empty."

"They can be overwhelming." A small grin lifted her lush lips as she looked up at him, aware of how overwhelming both Valissia and Amelia could be at times.

"I found they were what I needed though", as he spoke the words, he continued to stare at her. For the first time since she set foot in Skyhold, he was looking at the Ghost of Ferelden. The eyes he was lost in were the same eyes that a target saw last, the smell of water lilies, a scent that hung about his quarters even now, meant death for a target. Standing before him, holding his torn and battered heart in her ebony gloved hands, was one of the most feared assassins in the world.

None of that mattered though, and he reached for her without a thought for the people that would see him, or what they would say. When she tugged the scarf from her face, and looked up at him, he was lost, falling into her summer bright gaze again. One large hand slid down her armor-clad shoulder, down her arm, and reached for her hand.

Talise had seen the look on his face when he first saw her, she knew the look, had seen it before; outside of Antiva assassins were feared, and the mere rumor of Ghost in a city was enough to set a city on edge. Guards would be doubled, mercenaries hired to protect the rich and powerful, and people who had no reason to live in fear found themselves drowning in it. She braced herself for Cullen's reaction, for the moment he turned from her, and instead he pulled her to him.

Relief coursed through her veins, and she launched herself at him with enough force to send him staggering back. Nearly a foot shorter than he stood, her booted feet left the muddy ground as she wound her arms around his neck, and buried her face in the fur mantle of his surcoat. Cullen took several steps backwards when she flung herself at him, his free hand reaching up to cup the back of her head as she came up off the ground, the arm around her back shifting to hold her more firmly to him.

"Thank the Maker", his heart pounded with an equal amount of relief. The nightmares that had tortured him, her broken and bleeding, needing help, or the worse one, the dreams where Christopher and the companions brought her body back with them, were all untrue. Talise was not only standing before him, he was holding her in his arms, pressing one gloved hand against the hardened leather armor on her back.

Over Cullen's shoulder she saw Amelia and Valissia leaning their heads together, golden and auburn strands of hair mixing as they leaned against her, and she caught Valissia's soft smile. Christopher swept Valissia up and walked for the main keep, while Amelia was pulled away by Michel, and the other companions dispersed as well. She was still in Cullen's arms, feet dangling off the ground, as the stable boys came to collect the horses, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"I missed you."

Cullen smiled at her then, leaning forward to brush a kiss against her forehead, "I missed you. I was grateful for the company you sent me. But I am so glad you're back."

Behind his neck she tugged her gloves off, holding them in one hand, the other she sunk into his tawny tresses, tipping her chin up to catch his lips. Cullen sucked in a breath, as she nipped at his lower lip, and he parted his lips, rubbing her tongue with her. Before the kiss could deepen further, he lifted his head, and let her frame slide down his, catching her finely boned face in his leather gloved hands, "I think… we need to go upstairs now."

Talise nodded in agreement to his words, taking a step back from him to clear her head. Already her cheeks were flushed with arousal, and she could feel her heart racing as she looked up at him. With a brief peek at the courtyard, she turned, and walked up the stairs. Cullen was right behind her, his fingers reached for hers as they walked, squeezing tightly.

Once in his quarters, he slammed the doors shut, and turned to Talise, who reached for a dagger in her boot. Wordlessly, she started tugging her weapons she off, the daggers in her boots, the long ones strapped to her back, and started to work on her armor. Her bright blue gaze met his as she popped the clasps on her chest piece, letting it hang from her form as she tugged the rest of her armor off, the pieces hitting the ground with thuds. Across from her, he tugged his surcoat off, dropping it in his chair. A few moments later, and he was down to a pair of leather pants and a linen tunic.

"Are we going to break in your chair? Since we've already broken in your desk?" She grins impudently at him, shaking her hair free of the high ponytail she wore it in.

When his armor was off, he reached for her, sinking his fingers into her hair, and tilting her face up to him, his demeanor had changed, she saw the somehow sweetly dominating gleam in his eyes, and it sent a shiver up her spine, "Not the chair. Upstairs. Right now Talise."

"And if I don't?" she challenged, rebellion gleaming bright in her sky touched gaze, as she looked up at him, tugging the last piece of her armor from her wrist.

His fingers tightened in her hair, tipping her head back until he could press his lips to hers, gently, belying in the strength in his arms as he held her, "Now Talise."

She shivered, nodding at his words, her momentary flash of rebellion gone. His fingers slipped from her hair and she turned, walking to the ladder and then climbing it. Cullen took a moment to lock the doors to his quarters, before climbing the ladder after her. Talise was standing by the bed when he stepped onto the balcony, her eyes nearly glowing with arousal as she watched him cross the wooden floor to her. Instead of pulling her to him, he reached for the hem of her shirt, tugging off, and then tugged on the ties on her leggings, pulling those free and then yanking them over her gently curved hips.

She managed to kick her feet free of her leggings at the same time she tugged his shirt up towards his shoulders, and then her fingers went to the ties on his pants, only to stop when his hands grabbed hers. Holding her hands in one of his, he pushed her towards the bed, until she fell backwards onto it, and then he leaned down, crawling onto the bed after her. Talise scooted backwards until she was at the head of the bed, her arms reaching up for Cullen.

He leaned into her, parting her legs with his thigh, his lips meeting hers, his tongue tangling with hers in a rhythm that matched his hips, which were rocking into hers. Each time he ground against her, a bolt of pleasure rocked through him, and he groaned into the kiss, one of his hands rising to tangle in her hair, cupping the back of her head. Talise scored her nails down his back, leaving trails of fire as she arched up from the bed, her legs curling around his waist.

They kissed until Talise's lips were plump, until Cullen was so hard his cock was leaking inside of his leather breeches, the swollen head peeking up through the untied laces. His free hand cupped her breast, pinching the light pink nipple until it pebbled and pushed against his fingers, and then he broke the kiss, ducking his head to suck on her breasts, while Talise squirmed and writhed on the bed beneath him. Her hands were restless, sliding from his shoulders down his back and then back up, into his hair, holding his head against her.

When her fingers curled into his hair, mussing it, his own reached for the lacy waistband of her smallclothes, tugging them free and sliding them down her thighs, until she could kick them free, and then he settled between her thighs once more. A moan rumbled in his chest when his fingers skated over the tender folds between her legs, she was already swollen and slick; delicately he ran his fingertips over her, again and again until she was arching from the bed, moaning into his kiss.

"Please Cullen… please..." Her hips lifted from the bed, trying in vain to get his fingers to rub against her over-sensitive clit.

"Right…" Already he knew what she wanted, and with a grin of masculine triumph, he ran the pad of his calloused thumb over the bundle of nerves. Immediately he felt her legs twitch, and he pressed a kiss to the inside curve of one breast, "Here?"

"Yes there. Please there. Please." Talise babbled as his thumb stroked over her, and she curled both hands into his hair, holding onto him as her back bowed from the bed.

"Tell me what you need", his voice dropped lower, whispering against her skin, but still carrying the weight of command as he spoke, calloused fingers running over the soft, slick folds between her thighs, which she spread eagerly for him.

"You. I need you."

"You have me. What do you need?"

"Just… " Her words broke apart as her hips lifted from the bed, her legs tightening around his waist. To keep from screaming, she bit her lip, her teeth sinking into the lush bottom curve until she tasted blood. Cullen leaned up then, capturing her lips with his, and she moaned into his kiss, almost shrieking as her body pulsed with her climax.

She drenched his fingers, and the feeling drove Cullen to the edge of desperation. As soon as she relaxed on the bed, blinking dazedly up at him, he moved, rising to his knees and shoved his pants down past his hips. Shaking off her pleasurable haze, Talise reached for his cock as soon as it was free of his breeches, curling her fingers around his length and stroking it as she looked up at him. He fell forward onto his hands, braced on either side of her body, panting as she stroked him, his eyes closing against the pleasure, "Talise, I'm not sure I can be gentle."

"I don't want gentle. I need to know you're real." Her fingers ran up and down his length, not quite squeezing, but not letting go either. She kept her touch light as she toyed with him, knowing he would lose control faster the more she teased him. One slim hand lifted to his chest, pressing against it, as she leaned up from the pillows scattered across his bed.

He blinked confusedly at her, the pleasurable haze starting to swamp his brain, her fingers around his erection making it hard for him to think. Her hand pressed into the muscles of his chest harder, and he leaned back, until he was stretched out in front of her, laying on his back, his head at the foot of the bed. She followed him as he laid down, rising to her knees above him, her fingers continuing their delicate dance up and down his length. The hand in the middle of his chest slid down, her nails lightly raking over the muscles of his stomach, and he moaned in response, reaching for her, intent on pulling her up to his hips.

Talise evaded his grasp, reaching up with a hand to curl round his, as her head dropped over his length. Parted lips pressed soft, tender kisses over the swollen crown of his cock, and down his length, her tongue traced the throbbing veins as she lifted her head back up, her lips parted and she sucked on just the swollen head for a moment. Cullen hissed out a curse, then a prayer, the hand that held hers tightening, the other falling to the bed and grabbing handfuls of the blanket.

From under her lashes her bright sky gaze lifted to watch his face as she sucked on his length, slowly working more of him into her mouth. Tawny hair was tousled by her fingers, his jaw was tight, his face tipped up towards the ceiling, his eyes closed, his lips moving in a soundless prayer. Her lips curled upwards in a grin as she lifted her head from his cock, running her tongue against the sensitive underside, tracing her name in tiny letters with the nimble tip of her tongue over the spot.

"Maker's…. breath… Talise…" his fingers rose from the bed, reaching for her, only to fall back onto the bed and fist back into the blankets, pulling them into a heap beside him. His hips rocked upwards to meet her tongue, it was torture, feeling her lick over his length when he desperately wanted her to suck on him once more, but it was a pleasurable torture, each movement of her tongue sent lightning bolts running down his spine.

"What do you need Cullen?" She whispered his words back to him as she looked up at him, running her tongue up and down his length, until it had slid over every inch of skin.

Cullen recognized his words, from just a few minutes ago, and he groaned, knowing she was taking control back from him. He was unable to resist the siren song of pleasure, and his hips bucked as she continued to lick over him, "You… I need you."

"Oh mi amor, you have me. Don't you know?", a wicked grin curved her lips as she smiled up at him, her eyes bright with desire.

He hissed at her words, his hips bucking, lifting his cock to her in blatant invitation, hands squeezing around hers and the blanket. He was throbbing, his cock so hard it leaked, the clear droplets were met by the gentle swipe of her tongue as she looked up at him, and his honeyed gaze closed, "Please Talise… please."

"Now I know why you like me to beg so much", a thrill of power rushed through her, watching one of the strongest men she knew, beg for her. She continued to just lick the head of his length, her fingers curling loosely around his length, fingers not meeting, and stroking gently.

"More…" it was nearly whimpered as Cullen shifted on the bed, his entire frame shaking as she started to stroke him. It had been too long without her, even a day was too long without her, and now she was teasing him, torturing him, with soft licks and sucking, only to back off, "I need you… more than I need lyrium."

Talise's eyes widened at his words, for a moment, and then she dropped her head, her lips tracing over his length once more, before parting and sucking him in. She did not stop, until she had to, until he was crowding the back of her throat, and she was close to gagging. Cullen pushed himself to his elbows with a shout when she sucked his cock back into her mouth, only to fall backwards onto the bed, his hand leaving the mattress to curl into her hair, holding her head gently.

"Fuck… like that…" He could do little more than pant as she sucked on him, her lips moving up and down his length. When she sucked him into her mouth once more, her cheeks caving in as her mouth slid down his length, he cursed, pushing up from the mattress, the hand in her hair fisting it, and tugging her head away from him, the hand that held hers letting go of her slim fingers and reaching for her shoulder, grabbing her small frame and turning her in one quick motion.

Talise bounced slightly when her back hit the bed, and she looked up at him, his frame sliding over hers. A shiver ran through her, and before he could slide his leg between hers, she parted her thighs, letting her legs fall open on the bed. The tender folds between her legs were slick, swollen, the insides of her thighs gleamed with arousal; her breasts were topped by hardened pink nipples, as she lay stretched out beneath him. One hand reached for his length, and she stroked it gently, her eyes darkening with arousal when his hips bucked into her hand.

Cullen looked down at her, seeing her eyes nearly black with desire, pupils taking over the swirling blue of her gaze, her breasts topped with swollen nipples, and the slick, swollen folds between her legs, revealed to him as she lay on the bed, legs parted in a wanton display. A groan left him, and he reached for her hand, stilling her fingers on his length. Keeping his hand pressed over hers, he leaned forward, until the head of cock was pressed tight against her slick opening.

Talise whimpered, her hips lifting from the bed, pressing against him, and she let go of his cock, twining her fingers around his and lifting their arms over her head as he stretched out atop her. Her moan met his as he slid into her, and she lifted her hips from the bed in greedy response, hissing out a breath as he slid further into her. Cullen cursed as his cock slipped into her folds, she was twitching and spasming around his length, one calloused hand slid to her thigh, lifting her leg until it was curled high around his back, and his hips snapped forward, burying his length in her.

"Maker… Cullen… I can't…", She squealed as he sunk into her, her body struggling to accept him, she felt a familiar burn of discomfort until it faded to pleasure, her nails scored his shoulders again as she arched up from the bed. Cullen set a punishingly hard, but slow rhythm, withdrawing from her body and then snapping his hips forward, sliding his free hand down her back until he could cup her ass in his hand, lifting her up to meet his thrusts.

On a moan, she buried her face in his shoulder, her free hand clinging to his shoulder, the fingers of her other hand wrapping tightly around his hand. Eagerly she met each thrust with her hips, she moaned when his hips pressed against hers. She was hovering on the edge again, each thrust pushing her closer to another orgasm, and she whimpered, her nails digging into the skin on his shoulders again. He felt her tighten around him, hissed in a breath when she clawed at him, and he knew she was close. He let go of her ass, snaking his hand around her hip until he could rub at her sensitive clit once more. When she whimpered and whined, writhing on the bed, he moaned, she was so tight and slick, pulsing around him as her orgasm started to overtake her.

She bit her lip once more, as she climaxed again, squirming against his frame on the bed. The sheets beneath her grew damp, slickness dripping out of her folds and sliding over the curves of her behind to drip onto the sheets. A blush darkened her cheeks as she looked up at him, and she blushed further as he leaned back, staring at the space they were joined.

"Missed… this. Missed you." He ground the words out, his eyes darkening with arousal as he watched his cock slid in and out of her folds. His free hand left her clit as the last spasms shook her frame, with a groan he pulled from her body, hands reaching for her hips, flipping her over and then pulling her to her knees in one movement. Talise reached for the headboard with one hand, the other dug into the bed for support; her breath left her as he pushed back into her, her back bowing to push her hips up to meet his thrusts.

"That's my good girl", he groaned the words out, closing his eyes against the pleasure, only to blink them open and look down once more, past the curves of her ass her folds were spread around his length as he slid in and out of her. His hands tightened around her waist, bringing her back to him, when Talise pushed herself back up, until her back was pressed against his chest, his hands cupped her breasts while he kept up the same hard, steady rhythm from earlier.

She wanted to feel his skin against hers, one of her arms lifted to curl around his neck and tug him closer to her, the other slid down her stomach until her fingers rubbed at her clit once more. Swollen and over-stimulated, she whimpered, the sound growing into a moan as his hand slid over her hip, joining her fingers as she played with the swollen bundle of nerves. Their fingers entwined, she continued to rub her clit, until she was trembling, her legs shaking.

He felt her started to tighten around his length, her folds slick and swollen. Groaning, he continued to slide in and out of her, his fingers curling around her own while she toyed with her clit. Each thrust, each snap of his hips, buried his cock in her, dragging him closer to the edge. When her body stiffened, her back arching, which pushed her hips hard against his, his free hand curled around her hips, pulling her to him; as she pulsed around him in one more orgasm, drenching his length, his hips slammed into hers harder.

Talise moaned, her voice breaking as her release shook her small frame, squeezing around Cullen's cock, which brought him to his climax. Cullen groaned as he slid into her one final time, holding still as he came, his legs shaking from the force. She whimpered, her hips pushing back against his, rocking into him as his orgasm prolonged hers. They rocked together, lost in pleasure, until Talise started to fall forward, Cullen caught her, his free hand resting on her stomach, holding her in place and leaning her back against him.

He slid from her body with a groan, the hand had been holding hers as she toyed with her clit sliding over her folds, cupping her in his palm, the other hand running his calloused fingers over the soft skin of her stomach. Still cupping her slick mound in his hand, he gently tipped her forward, and then on her side, stretching his muscled frame behind her. "Maker Talise…"

A whimper left her when he slid from her, her knees wobbled, and she was grateful to have his strength behind her as she fell against him. When he leaned her forward, she dropped onto the bed, her chest heaving as she panted, "I love you."

Overcome by a sudden rush of emotion, he pressed soft kisses into her shoulder, his lips running down the scar on her arm. A shiver wracked her frame, and she slid her hand down his arm, running her fingers over the back of his hand as he cupped her, carefully she shifted, and he slid his hand from her mound, resting it on her stomach.

Her arms slid around his shoulders, tugging him to her, and her lips met his, she dropped kisses over his face and jawline, her fingers slid into his hair, holding him to her. She was murmuring words he did not understand, and she pressed them into his skin as she whispered them, "Te extrañe. Siempre te necesito… Extrañé tus manos"

He realized she was whispering to him in Rivaini, and he sighed, threading his fingers through her hair as he she laid next to him, "I've no idea what you're saying…"

"Telling you all my secrets", she smiled at him, her sky-touched gaze soft as it traced over his features.

"What are those secrets?", his eyes slid closed as her fingers traced over his jaw, and he sighed at her touch.

"I missed you. I need you…" she whispered something else, slipping back into Rivaini, this time dragging her lips down his neck, "I missed your hands."

"My hands?" in response he lifts one of them, stretching his fingers out. His knuckles are crisscrossed with scars, one of his fingers will not open all the way, it never healed properly after being broken, "They're covered in scars."

"They tell a story. All your scars tell stories." She nodded in answer to his question, tangling her fingers with his as he lifted his hand.

Cullen's warm amber gaze slide over her naked form, for a talented assassin, her reputation well-earned, he was astounded that she had so few scars, "How is that you don't have any?"

"Valissia. Beneath that bookish exterior is a very talented healer." Talise's fingers ran over the scars on Cullen's knuckles, cataloguing them as she touches each one.

"I know. I've become her pet project." His gaze tracked her fingers as she continued to run her fingers over his, and then traced over the back of his hand gently. Chills raced down his arm to his shoulder, and he shivered lightly at the sensation.

Talise lifted an eyebrow at him in question, waiting for him to continue talking.

"She has made me teas, mixed new potions for me to try, she made this liniment for me one afternoon." with their fingers entwined, he gestured towards the top of one chest, which was littered with new potions, small tea bags, and several containers of ointment.

"Is it helping?" her summer bright gaze widened as she saw what Valissia had made for Cullen, in just the time she had been gone.

"Some of it. The tea is awful."

Talise snorted in response, biting back a giggle, "She used to do the same thing to me."

"Your arm scarred though." Letting go of her fingers, he reached for her arm, carefully holding it in his calloused hand as he examined the thin, silvery scar that traced down the inside of her bicep.

"I could have her heal it. I didn't want to." Her skin dotted with chills as he touched her, her eyes watching as his large hand held her arm.

"Why not?"

"Me recuerda a ti", for an answer, she leans up to him, almost kissing him, and whispers her answer in Rivaini to him.

"I'm going to have to learn Rivaini." The movement of her lips against his has him shivering, and he reaches for her, curling his arms around her waist and bringing her closer to him.

"I'll teach you." She lifted a leg, draped it over his hip, and moved until she was curled tightly around him, the arm he had been holding was draped over his shoulder, her hand curling into his hair.

Calloused hands slid down the smooth line of her back, and then back up, in a slow rhythm, his warm whiskey and honey gaze was half hidden behind tawny lashes; for the first time since Talise had left, he relaxed, sinking into the mattress rather than laying tense atop the sheets. There was so much to do, so much that he could not forget, so much that needed them both, but for one moment, everything seemed right in his world again.


	12. Chapter 12

Talise was alone when she opened her eyes. She was stretched out in the middle of Cullen's bed, his large frame was not pressed against hers, a heavy arm was not draped over her middle, a hand did not cup one of her breasts, lazily stroking her tender skin in her sleep, and there was no scratch of stubble against her shoulder. The bed behind her was cold, she hissed in a breath as her sleep-warmed skin met cool sheets.

Covering a yawn with her hand, she sat up, reached for a discarded shirt, all the while listening for any sounds coming from Cullen's quarters below. No sound, not Cullen ruffing through papers, no one issued orders or spoke to a soldier, his quarters were eerily still. Sitting on a nearby chest sat a small leather pack, a note on creamy parchment was propped atop it, her name written in a familiar, feminine hand, from Valissia. Uncaring that she was naked, save for one of Cullen's shirts, she padded across the wooden floor to it.

 _Little Love,_

 _Amelia has decided she is going to seduce Michel tonight, and wants our room for her purposes. I took the liberty of packing you a bag to keep at Cullen's quarters, so you will not need to try and sneak in before Michel gets there. Perhaps this is a good time to speak of sleeping arrangements? Neither of us are truly using the room for more than storage… If things have progressed with Cullen to that point, then perhaps you should have that roof in his quarters fixed, and claim it, and him, as truly yours._

 _Speaking of Cullen, I did what you asked of me, as did Amelia while you were gone. And I have gotten to know him better, in the time I've spent around him. In the beginning, I only cared about your heart; but now I have a vested interest in you both. Do not hurt that man and put me in the position of having to defend you. He is struggling Talise, he is hurting and in pain from withdrawal, and while I can assist with that in many ways, what he needs more is what you can give him. He needs to forgive himself. He has done things and said things that he considered unforgivable._

 _You and I both know how awful things in Kirkwall became, at the end. I would happily choke the life from Anders if I could get my hands on him, for starting this Maker damned war between templars and mages. Cullen carries the weight of all that has happened in Kirkwall, and before, at Kinloch Hold. Ironically, both times stand as testament to what evil and harm a mage can bring, and yet it is the templar that blames himself._

 _You cannot force him to forgive himself, and you are not his absolution. Just like he is not yours. But help him find his own way to forgiveness and peace. He desperately deserves both._

 _Valissia_

 _By the way, Amelia and I agree. Lord Cullen and Lady Talise Rutherford sound quite perfect together._

 _Also, I am spending the night with Christopher. Unless someone is bleeding to death, on fire, or the Breach tears itself completely open and the world is ending within seconds, I do not care, I am not interested, and it can wait until tomorrow. I suggest you take the same attitude and spend this night with Cullen._

Her summer bright gaze flicked over the parchment, and she snorted inelegantly at the last lines, before laying the letter to one side, and peering into the pack. Valissia had not let her down, fresh clothes, a comb, ties and pins for her hair, soap, lotion, anything she would possibly need for days, not one night, was filled in the pack. Tucked into a pocket were several healing tonics, and two bottles of a shimmering, silvery draught. Thoughtfully she studied them, picking one up and swirling the bottle, watching the liquid gleam in the bottle. She had taken the draughts faithfully for years now, twice a week, even when she has had no need to. A thought rose in her, one she scarcely gave hope to; a baby, with golden curls and familiar bright cerulean eyes, the idea wrenched her heart against her ribs in a wave of longing, and without thinking, she uncorked the draught, tips the bottle back, drinking it swiftly. The wants of her heart would have to wait, until the world was safer, until Cullen was safe.

Stealthily she worked her way across the quiet courtyard. Night was falling on Skyhold, the sun had sunk behind the snowcapped Frostbacks, the sky was a blaze of colors, but Talise missed the showy display as she walked with single-minded purpose. In the garden, tucked in a small room, she found Cullen on his knees in front of the statue of Andraste. Her heart ached at the sight, his golden head was bowed, and she could just barely make out the words he was saying. Once again, he was praying.

Quietly, she crossed the room, laying a hand on his shoulder when she reached for him. One gloved hand reached for hers, squeezing her fingers tightly, but he did not move from his spot. Instead, Talise sunk to her knees beside him, and Cullen reached for her, drawing her to his side with one powerful arm.

Against his shoulder, she spoke, her head bowed, "Cullen… I need you to forgive me."

He had not paused in his prayers, although he had stuttered a word when the scent of water lilies reached him. But now, as her whispered words, he stopped, blinking several times in confusion as he looked over at her, "For what?"

Talise lifted her chin, her summer bright gaze tracing over the statue of Andraste before her, "I knew…. About Anders. Well, I suspected."

His amber gaze grew wide for a moment, and he sucked in a deep breath. Talise was arrowing to the heart of his guilt, and making it hers.

"I left Kirkwall to finish a contract in Nevarra. Amelia went with me, Valissia stayed behind in Kirkwall, with Hawke and his friends", Her hair, unbound, fell around her shoulders and over her face in a spill of dark chocolate strands, sparkling with hints of gold from the candles lit in the chapel.

"So, you weren't there when Anders blew up the circle then?"

"No. But Valissia had written me, told me that she suspected Anders was possessed, and that he was losing control to the spirit, or demon, that had possessed him. She wanted to go to the templars, she knew from Hawke that Knight-Captain Rutherford was harsh, but fair, and she felt she could trust you with the information."

"I…." His hands ached this evening, and they trembled until he curled his hands into loose fists. He had fallen asleep with Talise, only to be woken up hurting and troubled by his dreams. After pacing his office until his knees ached, he had limped his way to the chapel in the garden. He had not prayed as much as he had sat in front of Andraste, letting the memories wash over him. A few short months ago, he had sat in this chapel, with a short, dark-haired woman, who had the most piercing, summer bright blue eyes, while she mourned a brother. A brother who had died at Haven. The guilt had plagued Cullen that evening, he had been in command, he should have done something more, instead Jordan had rushed out with the Inquisitor, determined to help, and had fallen in battle.

He had expected her anger, and braced himself for it when Talise walked into the main hall that first morning. Instead he had realized she was blaming herself, that her guilt at her brother's death had driven her to the Inquisition, to sit for judgment. And she had walked off with his heart that night in the chapel. Now, she was accepting guilt for something yet again, this time for the events at Kirkwall, and the idea snatched the air from his lungs, made his heart hurt, intensified the ache in his battered hands.

"I told her no. Reminded her she was an apostate mage, and that you would likely take her in as well. I knew well the abuse Meredith was dealing out, and I was terrified Valissia would be made tranquil before I could get back to Kirkwall and get her out of the Circle." The assassin's sharp gaze saw the tremble in his hands, felt it against her shoulder, and she reached out, curling her hands around his as she whispered the words to him.

"Meredith wielded the brand for far less. I cannot say I blame you for your concern." It felt heretical, somehow, to talk loudly in the small chapel, and so instead his deep voice whispered the words to her, while he leaned one stubble-covered cheek against the top of her head.

Talise murmured the words, her gaze watching the tiny flames from snow white candles dance around them, "I know. I had written several anonymous letters to the Seekers, pleading with them to investigate Meredith, to come to Kirkwall and see for themselves what was going on."

Cullen sucked in a breath at her softly whispered admission, watching as her fingers curled around his fist, sliding between his fingers and holding on tightly to him, "You… you did?"

"Cullen, I passed through Kirkwall repeatedly, I'd heard the rumors."

"I should have done more to stop Meredith." He lifted his head from hers, muscled shoulders dropping as he spoke.

"She played off your anger and your pain. Instead of trying to help you get through your past, like she should have. And you cannot blame the red lyrium on that, she was doing that before she was exposed to it." One of her small hands left his, and she reached for his face, cupping his warm palm in her hand, her thumb gently running over the scar that ran to his lip.

He nodded, merely watching her, his warm gaze tracing over the delicate features of her face, his fingers squeezing tightly around hers.

"I told Valissia I would finish the contract, come back to Kirkwall and deal with Anders. And speak to Hawke. I was arrogant, the Ghost of Ferelden had never failed, and I could balance everything." Guilt, doubt, pain, they all flickered in his gaze, darkening the shades of blue that swirled in her eyes.

Even as she spoke, he was shaking his head at her words, his honey and whiskey gaze meeting hers, "Hawke is as much as to blame as you are."

"There is plenty of blame to go around. The contract in Nevarra took longer than we anticipated. Amelia wanted to head back to Kirkwall ahead of me, to see if she could find out what was going on, but I didn't want her traveling alone." Her fingers kept up gentle movements, tracing with a light touch against his face.

"Yet it's fine for you to travel alone?" His answer is short, he still remembered the night she staggered into Skyhold, bleeding and beaten, having taken on a group of Venatori alone.

"I'm better at self-preservation", her lips curled in a half smile as she spoke, "When the job was finished, I got a message from Valissia, she had fled Kirkwall. Anders had made his move, the Chantry there was destroyed, Meredith was revealed to be insane, and the city was in utter chaos."

"It was not a pleasant time." Pleasant shivers had broken out over him as he stroked his face, but his gaze fell shut at the memories that came to him.

"I know. There are many people who could have stopped things in Kirkwall, yet none did. We weren't meant to." Slowly her fingers worked their way over his eyebrows, tracing them with the very tips of her fingers.

"What do you mean?" Tawny lashes, just a few shades darker than his hair, covered his gaze as he spoke, dark circles nearly the color of fresh bruises rimming his gaze.

It took her several moments for her to speak, and her words are colored with both acceptance of the past, and a tinge of regret, "If things were meant to be any different, then the Seekers would have come to Kirkwall to investigate Meredith. If Viscount Threnhold had succeeded in expelling the Templars, Meredith would not have come to power there. If Viscount Dumar had done more as Meredith's abuses came to light, it would have stopped. If Varric and Bertrand and Hawke had never found the red lyrium idol Meredith would never have ended up with it. If I had stayed in Kirkwall longer, passed on the contract in Nevarra, if I had finished it faster. If I had let Amelia go ahead of me. If I had acted on Valissia's instincts sooner."

"What would you have done to Anders?" Cullen was afraid to voice the words. He knew what she did, knew who she was, her skills and work were legendary. For some unknown reason, he still asked, even as he feared the answered.

Talise met his gaze with her own, not flinching from him, refusing to hide the parts of her life from him anymore, "I'm an assassin. Do you even need to ask?"

"If Hawke had listened to reason, years before, about Anders. There is blame, but we all carry an equal share of it. It shouldn't be yours alone", she slipped from underneath his arm, and moved to sit in front of him, putting her back to the statue. On her knees in front of Cullen, she cupped his face in both hands, feeling the scratch of his stubble against her palms, "I need you to forgive me, for not acting sooner. For not protecting everyone."

"There is nothing to forgive. You did the best you could. It was an impossible situation." He murmured the words, and moved, straightening from his spot on the steps. Still on his knees, he pulled her to him, until he could wrap both arms around her back.

"Then why can't you forgive yourself?" the words were gently murmured against his cheek, while she pressed a tender kiss to the stubble covered skin.

Cullen froze, leaning back to look at her, the warm amber of his gaze colliding with the cool blue of hers. He saw nothing but sympathy in them, and her love for him, it warred with the guilt that he carried. She was right, and he knew it, but years of guilt and torment would not let go. Carefully, she rose to her feet, and reached for one of his gloved hands, when his fingers curled around her own, she tugged him after her, leading him out of the chapel, and across the darkened garden.

"We've been here before", he murmured the words, remembering the night he spent with her in the chapel.

Talise's booted feet came to a stop on the garden path, and she turned, looking up at him, "You were the bright spot in that miserable night. No matter what may happen, I will always remember that it was you that stayed with me."

"I…. did not want to let you go", his gaze traveled over her face as she looked up at him.

"I didn't want to leave."

"I'm not letting you go this time", he tugged on the hand he held, bringing her to him, slowly gathering her into his arms. When her booted feet left the ground, she wound her arms around his neck, burying her face in his surcoat while he held her. The last light of evening faded as they stood there, Cullen holding Talise off the ground until his arms ached, and he let her slide to the ground, but keep his grip on the assassin as tight as he could.

Eventually, as the stars wheeled overhead, Talise lifted her head from his chest, "We can't stand out here all night long."

"I was sort of hoping we could."

"Come on."

He followed her, lifting a dark gold eyebrow when Talise turned into the hallway where the advisor's private baths were. When she came to a stop in front of the door that lead to his bath, he could not help the smirk that curled his lips, "I didn't bring the key."

"I've yet to find a lock I could not pick", she returned his smirk, sinking to her knees in front of the lock, and tugging a few tools from the inside of her boot. A few seconds of tinkering, and with a small squeak, the lock gave. Wearing a smile of triumph, she glanced up at Cullen, only to be shoved into the room, his lips pressed to hers as he kicked the door shut. Cullen pinned her to the door with his frame, cupping her face in his hands as their tongues curled and rubbed against each other.

One of the perks of being an advisor was the separate bathing quarters. Josephine and Leiliana had taken the rooms with ornate tubs, and filled them with soft towels, robes, silken lotions and perfume. Cullen had picked the one with the tub carved directly out of the stone floor, heated by some sort of engineering marvel the dwarves came up with in the first weeks the Inquisition took over Skyhold. One side of the tub was heated until the water was almost too hot to stand, the other side was left cooler, and in the middle, where it all met, was perfect for the former templar.

They managed to part, and keep their hands off each other as they pulled off armor and clothes; Cullen left Talise standing by her pile of clothes, pinning up her dark hair. He walked on bare feet to the tub, easing into the water with a moan of appreciation, and stretching his legs out in front of him, beneath the water.

Both heavily muscled arms were stretched across the edge of the tub, and he had propped his head on a mound of clean white towels. He heard a familiar, and telltale swishing of feet against stone, a barest hint of sound, and a grin curled his lips. A soft splash, a swirling of the water, and cool, slick skin slid over his leg, then his hip, and a familiar weight settled into his lap.

"Caught you off guard Commander."

"No. I heard you walking." His lashes lifted as Talise spoke, and he groaned. Even though he knew she would be naked, the sight of her, pink nipples already tightened atop her breasts, dark hair hanging down her back and over her shoulders, and her eyes, gleaming with arousal, drew a groan from him.

"Only because I didn't care if you heard me or not", She wasted no time, her arms curling into his shoulders and then sliding down his arms, unable to resist the corded muscles. She leaned to one side, stretching over him, taking the opportunity to press her breasts into his chest, bringing a sigh to her lips as she did so, and snatching up a small tub of liniment that she had brought in, along with a towel.

Cullen groaned at the feel of her against him, and his hands moved from the sides of the tub to run down her back, in a slow slide. His skin tingled, without asking he knew what she was doing, her fingers found the sore spots on his back and shoulders, and rubbed the liniment into his skin. Whiskey and honey eyes roamed over her delicate features as she continued her task.

She hummed when he started to touch her, his calloused fingers softened by the water, his touch feather light as he traced over the scar on her arm, his lips brushed against her shoulder, unable to help himself he slid his arms around her frame and gathered him to her, until they were pressed together.

Talise ran her hands down one of Cullen's arms, over the muscles and scarred skin, to his hand, and she held it with both of hers, her talented fingers rubbing away the tightness in his palm. When she started to rub his hand, Cullen's head dropped back to the towel he had piled next to the side of the tub, and he sighed, chills breaking out along his form, "Maker… You could do that all day."

"I'm afraid we'll get rather pruny if we stay in here all day", she grinned, settling back into his lap as she continued to rub his hand, digging her thumbs into the fleshy part of his palm. When her soft folds rubbed against his length, already half-hard, she sucked in a breath, forcing herself to concentrate on rubbing his hand.

His hips arched to press his length against her folds, and he groaned again at the feel of her, warm and soft as she rubbed against him. When she started to work on his other hand, rubbing more liniment into his knuckles, his thick lashes drifted shut, half covering his warm amber gaze, "It would be worth it though."

"Can I tell you something?" She whispered the words to him as her fingers rubbed into his palm, working the liniment into his skin, her blue eyes glittering with arousal as she looked up over their entwined fingers to his face, tipped backwards as he lay against the towel on the edge of the tub.

"Anything."

"Valissia and I remarked on your hands once. How we liked them. I had no idea how much I'd come to like them when her and talked".

Talise was spinning a sensual web around them, as she whispered to him, and he fell easily into it, letting his eyes close fully as he continued to rock and rub his hips against hers, "You like them more now?"

"Of course. That day in the garden, watching you play chess, I had no idea what these hands could do." She let his hand go, and leaned into him, brushing her lips over his jaw, and his cheek, nipping at his earlobe, "Especially to me."

Both of his hands, tingling from her touch, slid around her waist, pulling her harder to him when she nipped at his ear. At her urging he sat up, and she washed his hair, rubbed soap into his skin, and then rinsed him clean, her fingers trailing over his skin in slow, teasing movements. Before she could finish, he was doing the same for her, calloused fingers rubbing soap into her skin, cupping her breasts, and gently pinching her nipples until they peaked against his fingers. Talise hissed in a breath, and Cullen smirked up at her, continuing to stroke and pet her nipples until they were swollen.

Several times Talise had to pause, her soapy fingers digging into his biceps, or the taut muscles of his back as he continued to toy with her. When his hands left her arousal swollen breasts, she could not help the whimper of disappointment that left her, her lips forming into pout. The sound turned into a moan as Cullen's lips pressed into her shoulder, then her neck, his teeth finding the delicate spots that made her shiver, his calloused fingers sliding down the muscles of her back and to the curves of her behind, squeezing her and pulling her harder against him.

All thought of soap and liniment fled from them both when their lips met, Talise's lips parted against Cullen's, her tongue rubbing against his provocatively. One of his powerful hands slid up to her hair, fingers sinking into the dark strands, heavy with water and clinging to her skin. Each flick of her tongue against his had his hips lifting, rubbing his length against her tender folds until waves splashed against the edge of the tub, and Cullen was groaning into the kiss.

When Cullen broke the kiss, heaving breath into his lungs, Talise sighed, her fingers coasting up his arms and linking around his neck, leaning her forehead on his shoulder. Cullen shifted, the former templar tightening one arm around Talise, as he rose from the tub, just enough to sit on the stone floor around the pool, warm from the same heat that warmed the water in the bath. She slipped from his lap, just as his arms reached for her, smiling wickedly as she sank to her knees, the warm water splashing around her high breasts as she looked up at Cullen.

He leaned back on his arms, groaning as she looked up at him, her lush pink lips inches from the swollen head of his cock. A shiver of anticipation ran through with him when her tongue darted out, licking daintily at him, tracing the veins in his length, and then sliding back up. Her summer bright gaze was locked on his as her tongue traced over his length, flicking over the shining drops that leaked from his length. Her kiss-swollen lips closed around the head of his cock, and she sucked briefly on him. Cullen groaned, his hips lifting to get more of him into her talented mouth, his efforts rewarded when more of his length slid into her mouth.

She continued to toy with him, sucking lazily on his cock for long moments, before letting him slip from her mouth. Her fingers curled around his length, slick from her ministrations, she stroked him while her lips coasted down his length, and she pressed tender, gentle kisses to the heavy sac that hung between his legs. Cullen cursed in response, the words tumbling out between heavy breaths, his arms starting to shake as they held his frame up. One arm reached for a towel, and he shoved it behind him, leaning back on it, his arms stretching up over his head in surrender to Talise as her lips worked their way back up his length.

The assassin grinned wickedly as she looked up at him, watching Cullen crumble into a heap of pleasured masculinity. Her lips parted, and she ran her tongue around the head of his cock in a slow swirl, continuing the motion until Cullen's hips were jerking helplessly against her mouth. He groaned out a plea, a prayer, and she lifted her head, bright blue eyes colliding with his amber gaze, "Please… please Talise."

"Dime que necesitas amor", she answered, holding his gaze as her tongue continued to swirl over the head of his cock, her fingers stroking his length, "Tell me what you need."

"Your mouth… sweetheart. I need your mouth on me", he groaned when she answered him in Rivaini, the words sent chills down his spine, and his hips jerked upwards to her mouth once more, the movement succeeding in rubbing his cock against her full lips.

One slim fingered hand traced up his stomach, rubbing over the taut muscles, and then back down as she sucked him into her mouth, slowly sucking his length into her mouth. Cullen moaned, one hand capturing hers and holding it tightly, his head falling back to the towel, and his eyes falling shut. Each time she sucked on him the pleasure arced down his spine, and white spots exploded behind his spine. When she swallowed, the movement squeezing the head of his cock, he bit back a yell, his free hand scrabbling on the floor for purchase.

Talise lifted her head, slowly sucking and licking her way back up his length, before sucking on just the head of his cock. For long, pleasurable moments she continued, sucking her way back down his length until she could barely breathe, and then licking her way back up. Cullen's hips lifted off the floor with her movements, trying to keep more his length in her mouth, only to groan in satisfaction when she would suck him further into her mouth.

He felt the pull of his climax rushing at him, and he groaned, reaching for Talise's shoulders and pulling her away from his cock. She blinked up at Cullen confusedly, straightening and leaning into his arms as he pulled her to him, squeaking in surprise when he lifted her, standing in the tub and setting her down in the spot he had been in. Thick, calloused fingers traced over the tender folds between her legs, feeling her slickness mixing with the water that slid down her form in rivulets. Talise let out a moan, her thighs falling open, at Cullen's touch.

Gently he toyed with her, rubbing over the swollen bud of nerves hidden within her folds, grinning when Talise whimpered and squirmed on the floor, the wet strands of her hair soaking into the towel she laid against. Cullen's amber gaze gleamed with masculine pride and arousal as Talise squirmed, her thighs spread for him as he toyed with her, when one long finger slid into her folds, he groaned, she was so tight and warm, the sensation went straight to his cock.

She curled her fingers around his length, stroking him as he slipped another finger inside of her, their moans filling the steamy air of the bath. Cullen continued to stroke his fingers in and out of Talise's tight folds, until she was swollen around his fingers, her arousal dripping down them. His thighs were shaking as he leaned into her, parting her thighs further, slipping his fingers from her and curling them around her own as she stroked his cock. Their fingers entwined, he slid closer to her, until the swollen head of his cock was pressed against the slick opening in her folds. Talise whimpered, cursing in Rivaini, her eyes locking on Cullen's, their gazes meeting in a mix of heated amber and gleaming blue.

Slowly, hissing in a breath between gritted teeth, Cullen pushed into Talise. Inch by slow inch, he felt her swollen folds give, parting for him, her body squeezing him tightly as he sunk into her. He pulled her hand from his length, and lifted it to his neck, cursing as he sunk further into her, "You're so tight. And warm."

Talise could not help the moan that left her lips, as soon as he placed her hand on his neck, her fingers dug into the muscles, clenching in reflex, her legs lifting to wrap her thighs around him. Every time he sunk deeper within her, she tightened around him in a helpless response, both moaning into the humid air of the bath, and Cullen leaned forward, capturing her lips with his as he sunk fully into her. Her nails dug into the corded muscles of his shoulders as he started to move, her lips opening to his kiss. Both of his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him, closer to the edge of the sunken tub, as he thrust into her, keeping his movements slow and steady.

The assassin hovered on the edge of her climax, her body shivering against Cullen's frame. Each time he thrust into her, burying himself in one slow thrust, sparks of pleasure shot down her spine, and she closed her eyes, burying her face against his muscled shoulder, her fingers digging into his back. His movements in the tub created waves that splashed against the stone flooring, soaking the towels they had brought in, sending the bar of soap sliding across the flooring, all of it went unheeded.

He was so thoroughly wrapped up in Talise, buried to the hit inside of her slick folds, her legs and arms wrapped around him, that he lost track of himself. When she lifted her head from his shoulder, her gaze meeting his, he paused, unable to look away from her. Shuddering in her arms he lost himself in her summer bright gaze, the hand holding onto her hair sliding to cup her cheek, tracing over her skin with a reverent touch. His need for lyrium, his unquestioning beliefs, his guilt, his past, everything faded from view as he stared at her, unwilling to move to break the spell.

Nothing mattered for her, but the way the light sparkled off his whiskey and honey gaze, the feel of his skin against hers, the pounding of his heart against her fingers as they slid over his chest. Her skills as an assassin, her ambition, her drive, the pieces of her life, kept so separate for so long, everything was lost to him. Her fingers slid into his hair, the tawny strands curling from their bath, "Cullen… is it always going to be this way?"

"I don't know…" The compulsion to move was overwhelming, and he rocked his hips against her, keeping his length buried within her, his breath catching in his throat as he moves, "It's never been like this before."

She nodded, wide-eyed as he moved, her hips lifting to meet his, a moan rising to her lips. Within a few moments she was hovering on the edge again, and she writhed against him, burying her face in his shoulder once more. His large, calloused hand slid down her back, pulling her towards him with each thrust; groaning as she clenched around him. Cullen kept his thrusts slow, kept his length buried within her, and he dropped tender kisses over her lips, her cheeks, across her forehead.

Talise shivered and squirmed against his frame, arching to press her body against his, gasping when her breasts pressed to his muscled chest. She had been so close to the edge when he slowed down, her body ached with the need for more, her legs tightened around his waist. He smiled against her forehead, listening to her soft whimpers as he moved slowly within her, almost slipping from her body, only to slowly push his way back in. A few more slow, sure strokes and Cullen groaned, she was squeezing him so tightly, every thrust sent white hot sparks down his spine.

His callouses drug against her skin as his hand slid down her breasts, over her stomach, until his fingers could rub and flick at the swollen bundle of nerves nestled in the top of her slit. The other hand grabbed her hip, holding her still as he continued his slow strokes, "With me Talise. Need you with me."

"I am…" She squirmed beneath his hand, sucking in a breath as his fingers rubbed over her. Hovering on the edge, balanced precariously, she needed one more thrust, needed him to press up against that sweet spot within her when he slid into her.

"Good girl…" The words were murmured hotly in her ear as he continued to toy with her, keeping his thrusts intentionally slow. Every whimper from her, the way her nails scored red lines down his back, every time she squeezed around him, pulled him closer to his climax, and he groaned into her ear, his fingers keeping up their pleasurable work.

Talise reached her climax without warning, it simply washed over her, she spasmed around his length, her thighs tightened around his waist, and her nails dug into his broad shoulders. She buried her face on the spot between his shoulder and neck, groaning his name as her hips lifted in helpless response to his thrusts. Cullen moaned, his hand sliding from her hip to her back, pulling her to him and burying his length in her, holding still as she fluttered around him. It was too much, he was too sensitive, too swollen with need, and then it was just enough, the first sparks brightened his vision. The thought crossed his mind that he needed to pull out from her folds, but like every time, the siren's song of her body was too much to bear, and instead he pushed his hips harder into hers, letting her body milk his climax from him.

With his cheek pressed to the top of her head, cradling her body to his with one large hand pressed to her back, he groaned, his knees wobbling in the warm water of the bath. When the last spurt of seed leaked from him, he sucked in a deep breath, his arm tightening around her frame and keeping her pressed to him. Talise whimpered and moaned through her climax, prolonged as Cullen pushed into her folds one final time, her body welcoming his climax with more spasms around his length. For timeless moments they stayed where they were, pressed together, Talise did nothing more than lift her face from his shoulder, and press her lips to his; Cullen pressed tender kiss after tender kiss to her full lips.

Finally, he slid from her body, his fingers rubbing over her swollen clit one final time, smiling as she jerked in his arms. Talise murmured a protest as he slipped from her, her arms tightening around his neck, pressing herself to him more tightly, and Cullen slid his arms around her back, cradling her body to his. They continued to kiss each other, run their fingers over each other, letting go only to rise from the tub, or get dressed, and then coming back together. It took several moments to get dressed, Cullen found himself tugging Talise back to him after he pulled on his leather breeches, Talise could not resist dropping kisses over his back as he bent over to pull his boots on.

Entwined in each other, they stood in the doorway of his private bath until a passing servant pulled them from their reverie. Cullen remained close to Talise as she walked back through the keep, mostly ignoring the nobles and dignitaries gathered there. Their damp hair, Talise's undone tunic shirt, the soft blush that darkened the tops of Cullen's cheeks all gave them away as lovers, the Orlesian nobles twittered and whispered about weddings as they passed. He had wanted to remain quiet about their relationship, he was keenly aware of how many people watched them, gossiped about them; but in the moment, he did not care, Talise had offered forgiveness, an understanding of what it felt like to carry regrets.

In Cullen's quarters, he held her to him while he read through the latest batch of reports, stopping to run his fingers down her back or over her delicate features. Talise managed to get her boots and socks off one handed, she was intent on staying as close to him as he was on keeping her to him. When one of Leliana's scouts appeared in Cullen's doorway, she took the reports and letters, reading them from the safety of Cullen's arms. The stars twinkled in a midnight blue sky when a yawning Talise looked up from the chair behind Cullen's desk, watching him issue the night's orders to a group of soldiers, his task done, Cullen pulled her to the ladder, and then followed her up it.

In a few moments, they had pulled their clothes off, Talise taking the linen tunic Cullen wore beneath his quilted gambeson, tugging it over her frame before it had a chance to grow cold. Her insistence on sleeping in his shirts never failed to bring a smile to his lips, and he held her face in his hands, gently pressing kiss after kiss into her lush lips. When they fell into his bed, he kept one arm wrapped around her, and they fell asleep watching the stars through the gaping hole in his roof, Talise pressed as tightly as she could to him, the hand resting on his heart surrounded by his larger, calloused one.


	13. Chapter 13

It was the sounds that work her up; sooty lashes lifted once, twice, three times before her sky-touched eyes were open. The scent of oakmoss and elder flower, mixed with water lilies, hung in the air, and it brought a smile to her porcelain smooth face, it was their smell now, hers and Cullen, mixed together. Still smiling, she lifted a hand to her chocolate dark hair, tugging on the tangled mass of hair that covered her bare back and shoulders, pushing it away it away as she listened to Cullen. He was downstairs, she could hear the crisp sound of papers being sorted, the creak of the doors as a soldier walked in, the thud of boots against the ancient stone floors. When she rolled from the bed, landing soundlessly, a wince married her forehead, the floor was chilly against her bare feet.

A scout leaned in through one of the doors, propped open to let a breeze in, and he glanced up at the balcony where Talise was, uncertainty in his eyes, "Begging your pardon Commander."

"Yes? Do you have the reports from Leliana then?" A tawny eyebrow lifted over Cullen's warm honeyed gaze as he looked up at the scout.

"Not yet ser. But…" once more the scout's glance darted upstairs. He was curious, it was common knowledge that Talise and Cullen were together, and she had yet to be seen this morning. Wondering whether the assassin was upstairs in the commander's bed, the sentence hung in the air.

"But what?" Cullen knew exactly what the scout was doing, Talise had the same natural curiosity. That did little to ease his irritation, he had been considering going upstairs to wake her up himself; finding her curled up, soft and warm from sleep in his bed, was one of few great pleasures he afforded himself.

"There's a Magdalena de Villanueva here. To see Talise." The scout stumbled over the exotic name, Talise could hear his hesitation as he spoke.

Talise bit back a shriek at the name, grabbing at the first clothes she could find, and yanking them on. Her knee-high leather boots sailed from the top of the ladder, missing the scout and Cullen, and she followed, half-sliding, half-falling down the ladder, landing on socked feet. Her hair was still in disarray, her shirt untucked, the hem dangled well past her hips and close towards her knees, as well as a pair of leather leggings. Hopping on one foot, she shoved the boots on, and then sprinted for the door.

Cullen watched Talise fling herself from his bedroom, such as it was, with a bemused look on his face. His amber gaze took in Talise's lack of care about her clothing, even less effort than she normally put forth, and briefly he wondered what she was going to do when she bann. No noble would be caught dead traipsing around in worn leather boots, or a tunic that wouldn't even stay up over both of her shoulders at the same time.

"De Villanueva you said?" the former templar blinked, looking back at the scout, who nodded in response, "Maker's breath… that's her aunt."

Heedless of the looks, or the gossip, Talise burst from Cullen's quarters, running down the steps, and across the perpetually muddy courtyard. Her cheeks were flushed when she ran through the open doors, she had taken the steps to the doors of the main keep two at a time, and her muddy boots nearly slipped out from underneath her as she came to a stop on the stone floor.

Standing in the main hall, talking animatedly to Josephine, stood a small woman. Her hair was as dark as a raven's wing, silver strands woven throughout; the delicate features of her face were startlingly like Talise, she even had the same small hands. Cullen stepped up to Talise as she stood in the main keep, and she looked up at him, her summer bright gaze shimmering with tears. His heart clenched as she blinked, and the tears slid down her cheeks in tiny silvery waterfalls; one of his gloved hands reached for her, curling around her fingers and squeezing hers gently.

Magdalena turned, caught sight of Talise, and with a murmured apology to Josephine, she stepped past her belongings, including an intricately carved ebony staff, decorated with jingling charms and small gemstones. A sob escaped Talise, and she leaned into Cullen, half-burying her face in his deep red surcoat, watching Magdalena walk towards her with a look of disbelief in her gaze.

Cullen felt the tremor that ran through Talise's form, and one arm slid around her waist, holding her to him as Magdalena approached them. When she came to a stop, holding her arms out to Talise, the assassin clung tightly to Cullen, and she peered up at him through tear-clouded eyes, seeking his reassurance, and Cullen felt the moment all the way to his bones. His hands shook just slightly as he lifted his arm, pushing her gently to Magdalena. Talise crumpled as soon as her aunt pulled her in for a hug, her knees wobbling as her tears overtook her.

"Mi reina. I'm right here. I've got you", one hand slid soothingly through Talise's hair and down her back, the other cupped a smooth cheek, "I came as soon as I heard. I'm so sorry Talise."

"I'm all alone." Talise hiccupped the words out. The grief she had fought back, buried in the bloody work of an assassin, came rushing back to her. Standing in the main keep of Skyhold, she was not Ghost, not a Rivaini-trained assassin, not a would-be noble; she was as broken-hearted as she had been the night Cullen found her in the chapel.

"Child of my heart, you are not alone. I know you brought Valissia and Amelia with you, and they are family", Magdalena continued to rub soothing circles on Talise's back, her dark gaze, almost black, caught Cullen's. As soon as the seer's dark gaze connected with Cullen's, her eyes widened, a flash of some deep-seated knowledge flickering with in her eyes, before she drew back to look at Talise, cupping the assassin's tear streaked face in one wrinkled hand, "And this templar you wrote of. I know you Talise, there is more than what you tell me."

Cullen flushed at Magdalena's words, even as he wondered over the peculiar look she had given him; she seemed to know him, seemed to somehow see through him, past his armor, the sharp-eyed look she had cast on him left him feeling like he had no secrets left. Josephine smoothly offered them tea in her office, the Antivan ambassador looked knowingly at Cullen as he followed Talise and her aunt.

It took several minutes for Talise to stop crying, her face buried in her aunt's small shoulder. Cullen and Josephine did most of the talking, explaining the events at the Conclave and Haven, and what had happened since. Magdalena listened intently, rubbing Talise's back through her tangled mass of hair.

Once Talise had calmed down, her tears wiped away with wrinkled hands adorned in swirling patterns of deep green, a door creaked open. Two sets of eyes, a pair bright as a new spring grass, and one pair reminiscent of dark storm clouds, peeked in. Magdalena opened her arms, and both Valissia and Amelia tumbled into Josephine's office, their reaction the same as Talise's. For long moments, the Rivaini seer had her arms full of the women she had come to regard as her own, and she hummed a lullaby to them, heedless of Cullen and Josephine, until both mages were calm once more.

"After the Circle at Dairsmuid was Annulled, Magdalena was feared dead her for some time", Josephine whispered to Cullen, offering him a cup of tea.

"She's a…" Cullen blinked, holding the delicate cup in his large hand, golden eyes tracing over Talise as she sat on the arm of the couch, Valissia holding on to one of her slim legs.

"Yes, she's a mage", Josephine passed another silk handkerchief to Amelia, who blotted at her damp face with it, whispering a thank you.

As Cullen and Josephine talked, Talise slid out from Valissia's grasp, and off the arm of the couch with an easy grace, walking across the carpeted room to Cullen. Josephine and Valissia shared a grin as Talise moved, their smiles broadening as Cullen lifted an arm and curled it around Talise. Despite his own concerns, and against his better judgment, the commander could not keep himself from reaching for Talise, the sight of her tear-streaked face was more than he could withstand. He could not bring himself to care about the whispering nobles and diplomats in the main keep, the gossip in the barracks, or anyone who would say anything in the moment.

Magdalena managed to give both Amelia and Valissia equal amounts of attention, soothing them and calming their tears. The mages filled in the last few blanks, as Magdalena listened intently, nodding at their ideas and theories, "This Corypheus, his reach is long. Even with all the upheaval in Rivain, we've heard of him. He is a threat we all need to be focused on."

"We've all been working very hard, to do just that", Josephine answered, passing a cup of tea to Amelia, who wiped the last of her tears from her cheeks.

"I had already left Dairsmuid when I received word of Jordan's death. Truth be told, I knew he was gone, I had seen him in a dream." Magdalena took a damp handkerchief from Amelia, and blotted at Valissia's reddened cheeks, "Mija stop. Everyone is fine, we're all safe here."

Talise sniffled, tears pooling in her bright gaze at the mention of her brother, "We heard about the annulment."

"I sent you a letter letting you know I was safe and coming to you, but it must not have made it through." The seer sighed, shaking her head, "I'm sorry to have worried you all for as long as I did. Talise's contact in Rivain was in the Circle when it was annulled, and I was unsure if you had others. And I was unwilling to risk revealing your identity by looking for anyone else who could get word to you."

Talise nodded, pressing her face against the breastplate Cullen wore, the cold metal soothing her tear-swollen face. Cullen's gloved hand cupped the back of her head, holding her gently, and she sighed as she breathed in the familiar smell of elder flower, oakmoss, and leather. The movement was not missed by Magdalena, who arched a dark eyebrow at the pair; and then back to Amelia and Valissia, pressing gentle kisses to their foreheads before she stood up from the couch.

"I need some time with Talise… I know what I say will not leave this room, but I also know that my niece keeps her secrets well-hidden." Magdalena held an arm out to Talise, and slowly, with no small amount of reluctance, Talise slid from Cullen, her fingers lingering in his, before she was pulled from Josephine's office.

"Now, mi reina. Tell me about Cullen." Magdalena stood atop the tower in one corner of Skyhold, what had become one of Talise's favorite spots. With a knowing look in her eyes, the Rivaini watching her niece as she spoke.

Talise turned a distinct shade of pink at her aunt's questioning, and kept her bright gaze firmly on the snow-capped mountains that surrounded the ancient keep, "What do you want to know?"

"He is your lion?" A gentle hand stroked through Talise's dark hair, combing out the tangles from the chocolate dark mass, "Mija, did you not comb your hair?"

"No, I was just waking up when you got here", Talise, sitting cross legged in front of Magdalena, held still as her aunt went to work on her hair, "You remember the lion?"

"Talise, let me tell you something. I have been dreaming of you since before you were born, and you are always with a lion. He has changed over the years, he has a scar on his face now, and sometimes he walks with a limp. But he is still a powerful creature, and he still protects you in your dreams." As she spoke, Magdalena dug in the pockets of her skirts, a triumphant smile curling her lips as she withdrew a small comb from one.

"I don't dream of him every night." As her aunt combed her hair out, the dark strands gleaming as they were unknotted, Talise chewed nervously at one fingernail.

"No, I know you don't. But he is always with you." Magdalena leaned down to smack Talise's hand away from her mouth, before going back to her job, working the comb through her niece's hair, "Does he please you?"

"Maggie!" Talise blushed again, this time the flush heated even the tops of her ears.

A chuckle escaped the Rivaini seer as she continued her work, "I'm serious Talise. A man needs to worship the woman he cares about. If he is not willing to please her, then he is not worth having."

"Yes, he does." Still blushing, Talise nodded, her gaze darting back to the tower over the portcullis, where Cullen's quarters were.

"That tells me that beneath that cool exterior lies a warm heart. You are a passionate soul, you would attract a passionate man." Magdalena followed Talise's gaze, and them smiled down at her niece, tilting the assassin's head back gently, "Are you his equal? Or his play thing? These Fereldens have such strange ideas about a woman's place in the world. Does he treat you like they do?"

Talise shook her head no, looking up at her aunt with crystalline blue eyes, "No. He respects my opinions. He worries when I leave, but he doesn't ask me to stay."

Magdalen nods, tracing a finger over one of Talise's dark eyebrows, "I worry about you and your… work. All the time. He knows then, that you are the Ghost?"

"Si Maggie. He knows." With a nod Talise leans back against her aunt's legs, closing her eyes as she heaves a sigh.

"Are you taking the draughts then?", Magdalena rubbed the top of Talise's head as she spoke, gazing out at the mountains around them.

"Twice a week, just like you taught me", Talise blushed again, thankful she did not have to meet her aunt's knowing gaze. Magdalena was able to read Talise, and the assassin knew she could not keep even the most hidden of her wants from her aunt.

Her aunt let out a deep sigh, a tinge of regret coloring her words, "Pity. You would make beautiful babies with that man. No wait… you will make beautiful babies with him."

"You've seen that?"

"I've seen you walk with a lion in my dreams, your belly swollen with a child. So yes, I've seen it. What's more, you want it." Magdalena continued to run her tattooed hands through Talise's waterfall of dark hair. The want, the almost palpable need, was unmistakable in Talise's voice, and the Rivaini tilted her niece's head back to look into her gaze once more, "Listen mi reina, the path to your happiness is a bloody one. You will have to fight through a war, towards what you want. It will take all your skills and strengths, as well as all his, to get you there. But if you are willing to fight for it, all your heart wants will be there, when this is through."

For a long moment Talise said nothing, but hope started to gleam in her summer bright gaze. Long sooty lashes lowered as she blinked, before she looked up to her aunt once more, "Are you staying?"

"I am not sure. The templars will be nervous to have a Rivaini seer here. Some of the mages will be as well. I thought I might stay in Nightreach, I can help Patrick there, and be closer than Rivain if you need me", Magdalena ran an affectionate hand through Talise's hair once more, "Before I forget, I brought you something from Nightreach."

"You did?" Talise pushed herself to her feet, tugging her hair back from her finely boned face as she did, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"A very angry something. With sharp claws."

Talise frowned for a moment, and then her eyes went wide with shock, "Demon?"

"Si. I brought that cursed bird with me from Nightreach. I am convinced the only thing that animal cares for in this world is you." Magdalena nodded, sighing at the effort it had taken to get the animal to Skyhold.

"And food." The assassin grinned, one hand rising to shove a handful of dark hair out of her eyes.

"She has not been hunting as much as he should. The gamekeeper has been feeding him chicken and lamb, but that will make her fat if she isn't hunting."

"How was she on the trip?"

"Quiet. Which is unusual for her. This is the longest you and she have been parted since he was a hatchling."

"I need to go see her. Is she in the barn already?"

Magdalena pointed an arm up, towards the cloud-studded skies, and Talise lifted her head, her eyes searching the sky. She lifted one hand to her lips, and let out a shrill, piercing whistle. Several moments later, a dot appeared, growing larger, taking the shape of an eagle, plummeting from the sky. At the last seeming possible second, it spread wings wider than Talise was tall, opened large feet with lethal talons topping each toe, and it landed just in front of the assassin. Demon cocked her head to one side, and then the other, taking Talise in with a set of piercing golden eyes.

Talise dropped to her knees, sitting in front of the black and gray eagle, her bright gaze full of sorrow as she looked at the bird, "I'm sorry Demon. I didn't mean to be gone so long."

Demon did not respond, her talons clicking on the stones as she shifted from one foot to the other. Wide wings opened, and she flapped them several times, creating small gusts of wind that blew Talise's hair back away from her gaze.

"I left you in good hands though. The gamekeeper and Patrick, you had all the forests to hunt in, and farmland to keep clear of pests."

Clear, bright, golden eyes peered at her, shining with a remarkable intelligence, and then Demon snapped at Talise, her large beak coming close to Talise's fingers.

Talise jerked her fingers back, narrowly missing being bitten as Demon snapped a few more times at her, her beak snapping closed with ominous sounds, "I'm sorry. If I promise to let you hunt ravens the next time I go out, am I forgiven?"

At the mention of ravens, the bird's demeanor changed, and she hopped the last few steps to Talise, rubbing her head against Talise's fingers. As Talise ran her fingers gently over Demon's head, and then her wings, flexing them out gently and inspecting the long flight feathers, Magdalena watched, shaking her head ruefully at the sight, "I don't know how you do it mi reina. I've never seen someone tame one of them, yet Demon eats out of your hand. Literally."

"And I have the scar to prove it", Talise grinned, moving to sit cross-legged on the stone rampart, letting Demon hop into her lap. The assassin winced as the eagle dug long talons into her leg, but she bore the abuse, unwilling to move her beloved companion.

"Your templar is pacing in his office, I can see him from here. I need to speak with him. And you, mi reina, need to take Demon out and let her hunt", Magdalena lifted her small chin, a duplicate of Talise's, towards the tower where Cullen's quarters were. The doors were all open, and the former templar could be seen pacing in his office.

Talise nodded in agreement, dusting her leggings off as she stood, "I'll have to ask the blacksmith and see if he has some gloves I can borrow, unless you packed some?"

"Si, I brought several. Demon pulled the stitching out of one of them on the way here," Magdalena pushed herself to her feet, groaning as her joints popped, and made her way towards Cullen's office. The seer pauses, turning back to her niece, who sits cross-legged on the stone rampart, holding an eagle in her lap, "Also, we should speak of Denerim, and that title Jordan bequeathed you. And…. Alistair. Soon Mija."

Magdalena de Villanueva stood in front of Cullen, arms folded over her chest, appraising Cullen through dark eyes that shone with a knowledge and wisdom gained through her long years. For his part, Cullen felt his stubbled covered cheeks heat in a blush as he looked back at Talise's aunt, but he kept his back straight as he met her gaze. He had the distinct feeling he was being judged, weighed and measured as the seer looked at him.

Her resemblance to Talise was startling, but while the assassin was as pale as a porcelain doll, Magdalena was tan, her swarthy complexion revealing her ancestry, as did the tattoos across her face, and down the backs of her hands, swirling patterns that Cullen could make no sense of, even as he was curious about them. The striking looks revealed what Talise would look like as she aged, but while the assassin was watchful, Magdalena radiated a calm, deep wisdom.

"So… you are in love with my niece." Without any preamble, the Rivaini seer cut right to the point of her visit, watching Cullen intently as she spoke.

The blush on his face heated further, and Cullen nodded.

"She tells me you treat her well. Every man should be willing to go down on his knees to please a woman."

"I… uhhh.. I mean…"

"By the spirits, you Fereldens. I know you are taking my niece to bed, she is a beautiful, passionate woman. If you did not want to, then I would think something is wrong with you. But a relationship cannot be built on sex alone, Commander. Tell me, why do you love Talise?" It did not escape Magdalena as she spoke, that one of Talise's combs was sitting atop the commander's desk. Her dark eyed gaze took in the tortoise-shell comb, but she kept from remarking on it.

It took several moments for the flush to fade from his cheeks, and he gathered his thoughts, "Her heart. We have a Qunari here, and when he was made Tal Vashoth, she stayed with him, talked about things with him. We have this… creature, his name is Cole. He's not a spirit, not a demon, at least I'm told so, and not human. Most everyone is terrified of him."

"Yes, I sensed his presence when I got here." Magdalena nodded as Cullen spoke, moving to sit in a nearby chair.

"Talise has taken to training him, but Cole likes animals. She will sit with him in the barn, while he holds the cats there. She found an injured nug once, and brought it here to Cole, who nursed it back to health." Once the commander started talking about Talise, once he got over his reluctance, the words came easily to him, and a fond smile curved his lips as he spoke.

"When she was a little girl, she would do the same. She was always nursing some baby animal back to health." Magdalena smiled at Cullen, folding her tattooed hands on her lap, still watching him intently.

"The way she fights is a miracle. Fast, and fluid, with no qualms about cheating to win." One large gloved hand motioned to the dummy against a wall, studded with expertly placed knives.

Magdalena snorts at this, nodding her head, "You are the first to call it a miracle. But she is exceedingly talented."

"She can beat me at chess."

"And?"

"What do you want me to say?" Cullen frowned, feeling almost as if he is failing a test. The importance of the seer on Talise was plain for anyone to see, and he desperately wanted things to go well.

"The truth Cullen. I need to know why you love Talise. She is all the family I have left. I have lived to see my siblings die, and Catherine was the only one of us to have children. My parents are long gone, my baby sister and her husband are gone, and so is my only nephew." Although she sat calmly in her chair, almost as still as water on a pond, Magdalena watched Cullen intently, knowledge gleaming in her gaze. Something was there, a glimpse of some hidden secret, and it showed as she studied the former templar.

Cullen nodded, one large hand rubbing at the back of his neck in a familiar notion, "Talise has told me she had just you, and no one else in her family left."

"What do you want most Commander? When all this is said and done, when this Corypheus is defeated, what will you want? Will you go back to the templars?" Still she watched him carefully with each question, her dark gaze tracing over his features.

"No. No, my time with them is done. I haven't given much thought to the future, to be honest." He shook his head no at her words.

"Your survival, the survival of this Inquisition, and Talise's survival has taken precedence. I understand." Magdalena nodded at Cullen's words, her gaze understanding.

"I don't care where she goes. I would follow her to Nightreach, to Rivain, to some far corner of the globe. I just want her." He flushed at his words, as he realized he had revealed more of his feelings than he intended to under the Rivaini's questioning.

"All of her? Even Ghost?" Magdalena found herself holding her breath after she asked her question. So much hung in the balance for Talise, in this moment. Wrinkled fingers curled into her palms as she studied the commander, keeping her gaze calm.

Cullen nodded in response, leaning one hip against his desk. His warm honey gaze earnest and honest as he looked at Magdalena, sitting in his chair, "Even Ghost."

Magdalena visibly relaxed at Cullen's answer, her shoulders leaning further against the back of the chair, "She has become all of herself. For too long she has kept her life separate, and now, I see a whole, complete person in her. I believe I have you to thank Cullen."

"I didn't do anything."

"You defended her when she stood for Judgment, did you not?"

"Yes…"

"She tells me you worry about her when she works."

"Of course, I do. She deliberately puts herself in harm's way, tracking down filth and evil people." He kept a carafe of water on his desk, and one gloved hand reached for it, pouring a glass and sliding it across the gleaming wood to Magdalena. When she took it, he poured himself a second glass.

"Put a baby in her belly and that will stop." Magdalena held the glass in her hand, smirking up at Cullen as she spoke.

Cullen choked on the water he was drinking, bending over his desk as he coughed, and Magdalena laughed at him, mischief dancing in her eyes.

"I… we're not… ready. We're not ready." The flush that darkened his cheeks slid up to his hairline, and even made the tops of his ears hot. Unable to meet the seers gaze, he kept his amber eyes firmly fixed on the desk, wincing as he remembered the night he took Talise on top of it.

"Cullen, listen to me. If the life is meant to be, no draught will keep it at bay. Catherine was taking the draughts, before Talise. She was shocked when she realized she was pregnant again. Talise has been unexpected since she was given life." Putting aside her mirth at Cullen's response to the idea of a baby, Magdalena leaned forward, pinning the commander with an intense look from her dark eyes.

He nodded, the blush returning to his cheeks.

At Cullen's blush, Magdalena rolled her eyes, heaving a sigh as she leaned back in her chair, "Ay, stop blushing Ferelden. You love her, she loves you, it is natural you should want each other."

"You're her family." His gaze finally lifts to Magdalena's, and he winces when he sees her exasperated look.

"And? I'm Rivaini. I don't believe she is tarnished by having sex before marriage. I don't believe in waiting until marriage. Life is too short to not experience all of it, as often as you can." Taking a sip from her glass, she sets it on his desk, gesturing with her hands to the air around her, "Listen well Cullen, the spirits have spoken of you. And her. You both can have all you want, from and with each other. But you will have to be willing to fight for it. Talise will do everything she can think of to keep you safe. Will you do the same?"

"I would do whatever it takes to keep her safe through this war."

"And after? If you marry her, you will likely be Lord Rutherford."

The color slid from Cullen's cheekbones as he thought on it, and he blinked several times, "I'm not noble. I'm common born."

"So is she. She will be Bann because of Jordan, not because she has… what do you Ferelden's say, blue blood. Alistair will accede to her wishes, they were the same as Jordan, she is not asking for any different."

"Tell me, why have your kept her a secret? You sneak out onto the battlements to steal kisses like teenagers. She slinks from your room in the morning before anyone can see her", Magdalena fixed a dark look on Cullen as they stand in his office, "Yet everyone knows. The Orlesian nobles were twittering about you and her this morning when I arrived."

"She's an agent of the Inquisition. I'm the Commander. I don't want anyone thinking that she has special status because of me." The response seemed false even to Cullen, and he fought off another wince at the words. At the time they had agreed to keep their relationship a secret it had seemed the right thing to say, but under Magdalena's withering stare, he found himself doubting the wisdom of it.

"She has special status because she is the Ghost of Ferelden. Everyone knows that. And if they think otherwise, they are too stupid to have their opinion held in any sort of regard." One hand, with its trace work of tattoos across her sepia toned fingers, dismissed Cullen's argument.

"I'm not used to having my personal business broadcast over an entire keep's worth of people. You wouldn't believe how quickly gossip spreads through the barracks." He sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. The status of his relationship with Talise had bothered him, the feeling he was lying, about her, had been a source of struggle for him since the first time he had kissed her. The idea of everyone knowing about them, brought a dark flush to his cheeks.

"Trust me Commander, a man with your looks has been talked about for years. You've just never paid attention to it." Magdalena grinned at him,

The color on his cheeks darkened further at Magdalena's response, and he stammered for a moment, "Yes… yes… well… It was one thing to not know they were talking, and another thing entirely to know it now."

"Is Talise worth it?"

"Of course, she is."

"Then you need to make things more permanent. If you do not stake your claim on her, someone will." With a natural grace to her movements that reminded Cullen of Talise, Magdalena slid from her chair, stepping around the desk to stand in front of him as she spoke.

"You… make a good argument. Just so you know, my reluctance to be more open about my relationship with Talise has never been a slight towards her", he sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck once more, meeting Magdalena's gaze with his honeyed one, "I will never be good enough for her, and I know that. But I would willingly spend the rest of my life trying to be."

Magdalena nodded at his words, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth, "Commander, I have decided something."

"What is that?"

The seer rose to her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his stubbled cheek, "You are more than worthy of my niece. You will prove my dreams true. You will get her through this war, and she will do the same for you. You were fated."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Welcome to the family. Now go find my niece, she took her blasted pet of hers out to hunt."

"Pet?" Cullen frowned slightly, his tawny brows drawing briefly together.

A smirk curved the old Rivaini seer's lips, causing the lines on either side of her mouth to deepen, "You haven't met her yet then? Oh Ferelden, be prepared, that bird of Talise's is a demon in disguise. And let me make it clear, welcome to the family. _Lord Rutherford_."


	14. Chapter 14

Magdalena's words had been on his mind as he followed the path Talise took out of Skyhold; he had not planned on a future, had expected to die when he stopped the lyrium, expected to die for the Inquisition. Talise represented a future, something to work for, to fight for, beyond the Inquisition, a reason to push back against the lyrium, to break the chains that bound him to it.

The Rivaini seer was right though, his reluctance to be open about his relationship and his feelings for Talise meant that many would consider her to be free. She was too important to him to be treated like a dirty secret. At the same time, the idea that everyone would know his feelings, would know everything, sent a hot flush to his cheeks. Talise might soon be noble, and anything permanent with her would mean a title, and the responsibilities that came with it, the idea made his brows draw together as he followed the path down the mountain.

His heart thudded painfully against his ribs at the thought of Talise with someone else. Beautiful as she was, with a title, a prosperous keep as well, she would be hotly pursued, as soon as she swore fealty to the king, the offers would come. The idea of Talise with anyone, giving to another man what she gave freely to him, of another man seeing the wild, passionate side of her, sent a hot spike of jealously through Cullen, and his fingers clenched so hard on the reins his mount snorted in irritation. Magdalena had backed him into a corner, he realized, either make his feelings for Talise plain, and in the open, or lose her. Perhaps even lose her to a king, Alistair had a penchant for pretty girls, and the nobility were clamoring for a wife and an heir; who better to pick than Talise, someone he already knew, someone who's family had already given so much to Ferelden.

A screech drew the Commander's amber gaze upwards, and his gaze tracked over the bird that was soaring in the sky. It dived into the trees just beyond where he stood, and Cullen heard a familiar voice shrieking. Torn between curiosity and concern, he walked through the trees, into a small clearing.

Talise stood in the middle of the clearing, a bow in one hand, a small quiver of arrows at her back, pale sunshine wove gleaming strands of gold and red through her hair, still wearing the oversized shirt and leather leggings from earlier. An eagle was circling her, diving towards her and then pulling away at the last moment. The bird rose higher into the trees, and circled over Talise a few times; the wide neckline of her shirt slid downwards over her back, and Cullen saw her muscles shift and bunch as she knocked an arrow, and took careful aim. Hanging in the sunshine, the eagle circled, once, twice, while Talise tracked it, fingers tight around the arrow, and as the eagle passed over her dark head, it dropped the small, furry creature it was holding in its talons. The arrow whined as it sailed through the air, spearing the dead animal and then dropping to the ground, followed closely by the eagle, large wings opened to slow its descent, and the bird of prey landed atop the animal, holding its wings over its prize protectively. Once on the ground, the bird of prey wasted no time tearing into the creature, lifting its now bloody beak and holding a small scrap of meat out to Talise as she walked towards it.

"No thank you Demon, I prefer my meat cooked. Just don't break the arrow please", Talise ran an affectionate hand over the back of the eagle, her gloved hands ruffling black feathers gently.

"You really named it Demon?" Cullen lifted a brow in question as he walked into the clearing. When he spoke, the eagle lifted its head, and regarded him through a pair of bright golden eyes, tilting its head one way and then the other. Cullen approached cautiously, with a wing-span longer than Talise was, the bird was enormous, with talons that could easily cut to the bone.

Talise nodded, running her fingers down the bird's back once more, finally lifting her summer bright gaze to Cullen, "I named her that after she bit me the first time."

"She's a she then?" Cullen came to a stop beside Talise, one gloved hand sifting through her dark hair, unable to resist the waterfall of dark chocolate strands. He was struck, always, the moment she first looked at him, her bright cerulean gaze drawing him in.

"Yes. I rescued her when she was a hatchling, and raised her. They're native to Rivain. But she's lived at Nightreach almost all of her life." Talise reached for the arrow that she had shot through Demon's meal, tugging it free and wiping it clean on the grass, "Sera let me borrow some of her arrows, but made me swear to bring them all back."

"So, you're not just good with daggers then?" Cullen raised a brow in question at Talise.

"I'm not as good as Sera with a bow Or Leliana, for that matter. I get the job done though." In response to his question, Talise lifted one slim shoulder in a shrug, "Demon helps me practice."

"I didn't know you had a pet." Cullen motioned back to Demon with a gloved hand. At his words, Demon lifted her head, blood dripping in crimson droplets from her beak, and studied him intently. The former templar suddenly had the feeling that the eagle understood every word he was saying, and he was being judged just as carefully as Magdalena had done.

Talise shook her head no at his words, "She's not a pet. She's more of a companion. But an animal like this isn't a pet. Demon can take care of herself perfectly fine, and would do well in the wild. She's with me because she chooses to be."

"How did you rescue her?" Cullen watched Demon as he spoke, feeling sorry for the small animal Demon had caught, and was now tearing happily into.

"The eagles lay two, sometimes three eggs. The last chick to hatch almost never does well, they are often picked on by the older chicks. Demon was the last one to hatch out of a clutch of 3, her parents had been nestling next to Maggie's home for years." Talise cast an affectionate look back at the eagle, a smile lifting her full lips.

"You saved her?" The idea of Talise saving an eagle sent a pang through Cullen's heart; she was always saving something, or someone, striving to maintain the balance she so admired.

"I did. I had been watching the nest for days, and she was getting weaker and weaker. I waited until the male was on the nest, he was smaller than the female, and then I climbed the tree they were in, and grabbed her out", she held up her hand, with the scar that ran across the back of it, "And Demon's father gave me this as a reward."

"That's how you got it? I always thought you got it doing some job." Cullen reached for her hand, tracing over the scar, it almost looked like it had been done with a dagger, or maybe the tip of a sword, rather than a bird.

"Their beaks are incredibly sharp. I let Demon sleep on my bed in a box, with one of my shirts, and hand-fed her. She was almost big enough to fly when I got back to Nightreach. And we've been together ever since", as Talise spoke, Demon, who had been ripping through the small animal with gusto, lifted her head and stretched it towards Talise, "No Demon. You eat."

Once more the bird of prey had lifted her head, holding another scrap of meat deftly stripped of fur and skin, and she had stretched her head towards Talise. At the assassin's refusal, Demon moved, hopping agilely away from her kill, and towards the two of them. Holding the strip of flesh in her bloody beak, Demon looked up at Cullen, tilting her head to one side.

"Talise… what is she doing?" standing before soldiers, issuing orders had been just slightly more intimidating than now, standing in front of the eagle. Cullen was sure now that the bird of prey was judging him, taking his measure as she watched him through those bright golden eyes.

"Offering you food of course. But… she's never done that for anyone but me before", Talise blinked as she looked up towards Cullen, her summer bright gaze wide with shock.

"What do I do?" the former templar did not take his amber gaze from Demon, he had seen the talons she had on her feet, they were several inches long, curved, and almost reminiscent of a dagger Talise carried.

"Take it or not. But this is high praise from her, she doesn't share." One small shoulder lifted in a shrug, her smooth skin bared as the shirt slid down again. Over the other shoulder she had flipped a large glove, so long it would fit up to her elbow, heavily padded, and covered in a thick layer of hide.

Cullen moved slowly, his knees aching as he knelt onto the ground in front of the bird. A hot flush rushed to his face, he felt incredibly foolish kneeling on the cold ground, snow still clung to it in places, talking to a bird, "I think I'll pass this time, thank you though."

For long moments, Demon studied him, pinning him with a look that seemed to arrow through him, before tilting her head back, and swallowed her offering in one gulp. The eagle regarded Cullen again, staring at him for a long moment, before flicking her head towards Talise, and clicking her beak several times.

"Why do I feel like she is deciding whether she likes me or not?" Slowly he pushed himself back to his feet, curling an arm around Talise and pulling to his side.

"You are." Talise smiled, burrowing her face in the fur of his surcoat, "As fun as this has been, I promised Maggie I would be there for dinner."

Cullen sighed, the crisp air outside was far too tempting for him, "There is a meeting scheduled for before dinner. I can't miss it."

"Come on then… to work." Heaving a sigh, Talise turned to walk towards the edge of the clearing, only to stop when Cullen curled his fingers around hers, and pulled her gently back to him.

"We should take advantage of this. No one around, no one asking for something", A flicker of arousal gleamed in Cullen's gaze as he slowly drew Talise to him.

"Just a demon bird," grinning, Talise leaned into Cullen, rising on tiptoe to curl her arms around his neck, her fingers sliding into his tawny hair. For long moments, they stood pressed together in the forest, Talise parted her lips as soon as Cullen pressed his against hers, and only when they were flushed, panting for breath, did Cullen lift his head. Talise looked up at him, her gaze hazy with desire, her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of rose, "I think… we need to get back to Skyhold."

They rode slowly, talking about Magdalena's visit, whether she would stay, while Demon circled over them in the sky. When Talise realized the eagle was stalking a raven flying back towards Skyhold, she whistled sharply, and Cullen was amazed when the bird of prey turned, and flew back to them. With a flutter of wings, it landed on Talise's outstretched, gloved arm, and then hopped onto the pommel of her saddle.

Cullen realized he was seeing more of Talise's life, she took the eagle with her when she worked, and he was not shocked when he learned Demon hunted ravens. Talise's seeming supernatural knowledge of events and plans came in large part from the bird, when Demon made a kill, Talise ended up with whatever the raven was carrying. When the assassin had explained it to him, he had fought to hide a smile, the plan was unusual, and a perfect move for Talise. Instead of relying on informants and contacts, who could spill their secrets, she relied on an eagle, who could not talk. The Ghost of Ferelden had survived, and was as good as she was, because she never did the expected.

Dinner at Skyhold was an unusually rambunctious affair, Magdalena attracted more than her fair share of attention, she spoke with nobles and common man alike, Solas and Dorian were drawn into deep conversations with her. Cullen stared openly at Talise, more so than he had in the past, his gaze heated each time it passed over her face. Cassandra and Leliana were fascinated by Talise's eagle, and they talked about the cantankerous bird through dinner, the Seeker resolving to try and take it dinner later, despite several warnings from Talise.

"Magdalena, I know that look" Valissia leaned over the older seer's shoulder as she spoke, "What did you do?"

Magdalena had a special bond with Valissia, few mages could talk and communicate openly with spirts, and the redheaded friend of her niece was one of them. She grinned in response to Valissia's question, "Merely made it so they would talk about what they want more, and what is going on less."

Valissia heaved a sigh of relief, nodding in agreement with the seer's words, "You should have come here months ago, it was agony watching them."

"I think I've changed my mind, I think I'll stay here for a while. Nightreach is doing fine under Patrick, and you girls need me." Smiling beatifically, Magdalena reached out and patted Valissia's smooth cheek with a wrinkled hand.

"Now I know you're up to something." An auburn brow quirked in suspicion as Valissia looked down at her mentor.

"We shall see, if what I have dreamed comes to pass or not." Still smiling, Maggie nodded towards Talise and Cullen, as they exchanged heated glances across the wide wooden table.

"So, you're tipping the scales in your favor?" Valissia followed Magdalena's gaze, and then looked back down at the Rivaini woman.

"No child. My dreams have revealed what Talise truly wants in her life. I would stop at nothing to ensure her happiness, and yours and Amelia's as well. I have pushed her towards Cullen, and him towards her." As she spoke, determination glittered in Magdalena's gaze, after having lived so long, and traveled so far, there were few lines she would not cross to protect her adopted family.

"I see."

"I will speak to your Christopher in the morning, to get the better judge of him."

Valissia's hot blush contrasted sharply with her hair, and she shook her head no, "No Maggie, that's not necessary."

"It is. I want to take his measure, same goes for this Michel. It is one thing to sleep with a man, it is an entirely different thing to give your heart to him. I was not here when Talise fell for Cullen, but you two are not quite where she is."

"I think she's been in love with him since they first met."

"I believe the same daughter of my heart." Magdalena answered as Valissia slipped away, and the Rivaini watched as she slipped to the

"Dagna", Cullen's baritone cut through the crowd, and the alchemist dwarf looked up from where she had been talking with Sera.

"Yes Commander?" The alchemist perked at Cullen's voice. She had been working on many projects of late, and was always eager to do more.

"I was thinking… it's high time that hole in my ceiling is patched. How long would it take?" Cullen kept his voice level and neutral, as if he was discussing the weather. When he took the rooms over the portcullis, he had received, and still did, a fair amount of ribbing over the state of the ceiling, with it's large hole in the tattered ceiling.

Dagna blinked, unable to keep her mouth from falling shut. She had offered repeatedly to help with repairs to Cullen's quarters, and he had always shut her down, "A few days."

"And stairs?" Golden, amber eyes swung from Dagna to Talise, tracing over her delicate features as he spoke.

"You want stairs to the upper balcony as well?" Dagna nearly squeaked in excitement. Although it was out of her normal range of work, the idea of getting to work on Cullen's quarters, was exciting, and she tugged a pencil from her hair, starting to trace out ideas on a nearby napkin.

Sera's ears perked at Cullen's conversation, and she aimed an elbow at Varric's ribs, lifting an eyebrow at Talise when she caught the dwarf's eye. The assassin, sitting across from Cullen, froze, holding remarkably still as she looked back at Cullen with wide summer bright eyes.

Cullen blinked, tawny lashes obscuring his gaze, before looking at Dagna, who was scribbling all over a linen napkin, "Yes. I know the room isn't big enough for a full set of stairs, but I do not wish to impose and take another room away from someone. The circle at Kirkwall used small, winding stairs to save space."

"That would… be perfect Commander. It wouldn't take us that long at all. I could build a lift as well, for heavier items, it would simple to design." Dagna ignored the scandalized looks from people around her as she wrote on a napkin, starting to sketch out some ideas.

"I think stairs and a solid ceiling are enough. To start".

"Tell me… will you miss the view at night Talise?" Varric could not resist ribbing Talise, and he grinned as he questioned the assassin.

"Seeing as how my room is above the garden, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Varric", even as it felt like her cheeks were going to burst into flames, Talise managed to quip back at her fellow rogue.

The wide neck of the tunic shirt she wore slipped over one shoulder, revealing satiny smooth skin, Cullen lifted his honeyed gaze from the bared skin to the dignitaries, soldiers, scouts, all those who were seated around them. Many eyes were on Talise, and many were openly admiring her, more than one covetous glance was sent back to the Commander as he watched.

Talise seemed oblivious to the glances and whispers, Cole had slipped into the chair next to her, and she was gently whispering to him, talking the other rogue through some sort of problem, Cullen was sure of. He turned his attention back to Dagna, half-listening as the alchemist and several dwarves drew up their plans for his quarters. Already he was dreading the noise and uproar as his rooms were renovated, but he would not invite Talise to stay with him permanently in the half-open room he had now.

Magdalena's sharp-gaze flitted from Cullen to Talise. They sat across from each other, close enough to share longing gazes, but far enough apart to meet the weird sense of propriety both the Fereldens and Orlesians had. Sighing, she turned her attention to Amelia; the storm mage was sitting next to Michel, the Orlesian knight was whispering something in her ear, sending a blush of the most delicate shade of rose up Amelia's light golden cheeks. Finally, the seer cast her dark, almost black gaze to the Herald, she studied him far more critically than she had Cullen; the warrior sat at the end of one table, one arm slung over the back of the chair Valissia sat next to, toying with the end of a red tinted curl that had escaped the braid Valissia had worked her hair into.

She regarded the girls, all three orphans, as hers, and a sense of motherly pride rose up in her; Talise was easily one of the best assassins in the world, giving the houses of assassins in Orlais and Antiva pause, Valissia was well-respected as a researcher and spirit mage, she could heal some of the worst wounds, bring back someone from the seeming brink of death, and Amelia, the wild storms the mage summoned rivaled anything Magdalena had seen in many years.

She leaned back in her chair, heaving a sigh, the last decade and then some of her life had been devoted to the women sitting in various spots around the table, she had dedicated her life to seeing to it they were well educated and trained, capable of taking care of themselves. They would not stay in Rivain, and she could not blame them, they had a whole world to explore, but that world was a dangerous place for two apostate mages and an assassin, she had worried every day for them.

"It seems, Magdalena, that your will leave behind no great tome filled with your secrets, but three women who know them", with a smile, Dorian pushed a small goblet of wine to her.

Magdalena murmured a soft thank you as she picked up the goblet, and sipped at it, leaning back in her chair afterwards, "It would seem so. I had no idea what to do, after the Battle of Denerim, with three young girls, all orphaned. My nephew could not take care of them, they could not stand to be separated."

"I cannot imagine what it must have been like for them." Dorian cast a sympathetic look towards Talise, having seen her, pale-faced and nearly catatonic, the first night she had been in Skyhold.

"Awful. They lost their father's the year before, Valissia's mother had died in childbirth, and Amelia and Talise's mother were lost during the fighting in Denerim." The seer sighed at the memory, her dark gaze flicking over the three women.

"I'm sorry for the loss of your sister." Dorian pressed a tanned hand, topped with perfectly manicured nails, over one of Magdalena's in sympathy.

"Thank you, Dorian." Magdalena smiled at Dorian over the top of her goblet.

"Can I ask you what being a mage is like in Rivain?"

"Vastly different than it is here. And I'm sure far different than what it is like in Tevinter. Tomorrow, I'll meet you for tea and we will talk."

Cullen stood then, pushing his chair back slowly. One large, gloved hand rose to rub at the back of his neck, as conversations around him died down slowly. Before, he had bid his farewells at dinner, and left alone, Talise had followed a few moments later. Now however, he stood, his honeyed gaze meeting Talise's sky-touched eyes as she looked at him across the table, candlelight dancing across her delicate features. One shoulder was still bared by the careless tunic she wore, and as she looked up at him, Valissia leaned over to her, tugging the wide neck of her shirt back up in place.

"Are you leaving us Commander?" Cassandra broke the quiet with a smirk on her face as she looked up and across the table at Cullen.

"Yes. I was… thinking… the gardens are especially peaceful this time of night. I thought I might take a walk around them." A flush darkened the commanders face as he nodded, unable to meet Cassandra's sharp gaze.

Dorian and Iron Bull shared a meaningful glance, while Varric and Sera smirked at each other. Even Vivienne had stopped talking, her gaze bouncing between Cullen and Talise. The air in the hall grew heavy with anticipation, Amelia found herself crossing her fingers for luck.

The only seeming calm, disinterested face in the crowd was Magdalena. Talise's last remaining family member watched the interplay between Cullen and Talise with a suspiciously placid look on her face, sipping at the wine Dorian had given her.

His flush deepened as the hall grew quiet, and Cullen knew everyone was watching him. For a moment he did not speak, but looked pleadingly at Talise, as if willing her to ask before him. The assassin stayed where she was, watching him through her bright gaze. Finally, he spoke, stumbling over her words in his embarrassment, "I was wondering… Talise… would you… I mean, if you're finished, would you like to accompany me?"

"Absolutely. I would love to." Talise answered him before he was done speaking, sliding from her chair with her easy, fluid grace. In the long moment before Cullen asked her, she had nearly asked him to walk with her, unable to bear the tension as it spun out in the candlelit room.

All the chatter at the nearby tables died down, quiet murmurs passing amongst the people all gathered for dinner. Josephine looked up from the closest table, seated in between the Ferelden and Orlesian ambassadors, her dark eyes wide with shock for a moment, but she grinned before she could stop herself. Blackwall sat as close to the Antivan ambassador as he could, next to the Ferelden ambassador, and he could not fight off a smile, watching the commander bumble his way through a suddenly very public courtship.

Cullen and Talise met in the middle of the hallway, and she took his offered arm, turning to look at Magdalena. There was a flash of shyness there, but a mix of mischief, and triumph. The seer met Talise's grin with her own, and winked at her. A rush of whispers followed the commander and the assassin out of the great hall, the companions and Herald all grinning at each other, Leliana and Josephine sharing smiles, and Magdalena sat in her chair, wearing a look of placid contentment.

"Magdalena, you must a champion of the game." Vivienne tipped her goblet of wine in the seer's direction, a smile on her face.

For a moment, Magdalena considered the First Enchanter, her dark gaze missing nothing, before she set her goblet down gently, "Alas Vivienne, I am not. I am, however, determined to see my niece happy."

"Is that not the same thing?" The First Enchanter asked in return.

"Perhaps so. There is nothing I would not do to see her, and Valissia and Amelia, safe and happy", the Rivaini took a moment to pin both Michel and Christopher with a look, before her gaze returned to Vivienne.

"So, you'll be staying with us then?" Christopher spoke then, looking over at Magdalena, a dark brow arched over his deep green eyes.

"If you have need of me, then yes. I understand that a Rivaini seer may make some uncomfortable. I can easily stay at Nightreach, if need be." A wrinkled hand lifted to the templars that sat in the hallway, clustered together. Few of them mixed with the mages, and since Magdalena's arrival this morning they had given her a wide berth.

"Any mage makes the templars uncomfortable. It's taken some time, but I believe we have a good relationship built amongst everyone now." Christopher leaned back in his chair, relaxing comfortably, one powerful arm pulled tight around Valissia. The Herald had made his interested in the spirit healer plain from the beginning, and their relationship did not merit as much gossip now; the room was buzzing with speculation over Cullen and Talise. Already the Orlesians were speaking of a grand ball after a marriage, and the Fereldens whispered of yet another common born being introduced to the nobility, this time through marriage.


	15. Chapter 15

Talise twirled a moon flower in her fingers, the milky white petals spinning as she walked. Cullen paused a few steps behind her, tugging his gloves off. He watched her walk, she had picked a wandering path through the small garden, her hips gently swaying, the movement enough to draw his attention. The thick plait of her braid, her chocolate dark tresses twisted on themselves, was a tempting target, he wanted to undo it, as much as he wanted to hold it in his hand, to use it to tug her head back until the line of her throat was bared to him.

The soft skin of her shoulder called to him as she looked over at him, the smooth curve of her skin just a few shades darker than the flower he had picked for her. It was his shirt, he realized, that's why the neckline had continued to fall over her shoulder during the day, in her haste to get to her aunt she had pulled on one of his discarded shirts, and never taken it off. A predatory smirk curved his lips and he finally walked towards him, the calloused tips of his fingers trailing over her bared shoulder.

"You're wearing my shirt." From behind Talise, Cullen leaned down to whisper the words into her small, curved ear. One hand ghosted over her arm, almost brushing against her linen clad arm, feeling the warmth of her smooth skin through his shirt.

"You left it on the bed." Her small chin lifted as she turned her head to grin impishly up at Cullen, her summer bright gaze sparkling with a mix of mischief and desire. As she spoke she moved away from him, walking soundlessly towards the gazebo on the far side of the garden.

"If I leave it out, you get to steal it?" A tawny brow lifted as she slipped away from him, smirking as she grinned up at him, watching her with a predatory look as he followed her to the gazebo

"That seems fair to me." As if she had no care in the world, as if her skin was not prickling with awareness, her heartbeat was not racing, she leaned against one column of the gazebo, keeping her back to Cullen as she twirled the creamy white moonflower between slim fingers.

"Thief." She made it to easy to lose himself, to forget his responsibilities and cares. Standing in the moonlight garden, he was simply a man, pursuing the object of his desires. While Talise had taken a circuitous route, he stalked after her, and now he stepped up behind her once more, reaching out to run the backs of his fingers over the smooth curve of her shoulder.

"Templar." A shiver betrayed her, her skin pimpling in a rush of a goosebumps, even as she smirked into the darkness, well aware of the game they were playing.

"Assassin." Cullen smiled into the top of her dark head, feeling the silky strands catch on his stubble.

"Lover." She murmured the words, turning her head to brush her lips, just the barest of hint of a kiss, against his jaw, smirking when she heard a swift inhalation, and his fingers tightened over her arm for a moment.

"Good. Girl." He watched her body as he whispered the words into her shoulder, smirking as shivers broke out across her skin, " _My good girl_."

Cullen never used the words unless they were with each other, and now her body betrayed her when he spoke them into her ear, whispering them to her as his lips brushed against her bare shoulder. It was almost a chaste kiss, almost innocent, were it not for the gleam of arousal in Cullen's honeyed gaze, the way Talise leaned back into him, and the way his hand slid to her stomach, riding low over the taut muscles, pulling her back to him. The propriety spread of his fingers, almost brushing the laces of her leggings, turned the kiss he brushed against her shoulder into something far more carnal.

"Cullen…" One slim fingers slid to behind her to grip his thigh, her fingers digging into the leather breeches he wore.

"We should… go to my room." He pressed another kiss to her bared shoulder, this time his teeth nipped at her smooth skin, earning him a sharp gasp from Talise.

"Mine's closer." A shaking hand lifted to the rooms across the garden from where they stood.

He shook his head no at her words, running calloused fingers down her arm gently, tracing over the silvery scar on her arm, "And at least Amelia will need it. You've got clean clothes in my room, right?"

"Y..yes." Her voice trembled as she spoke, and she dug her teeth into the tender curve of her lower lip in an effort to hide the effect he was having on her.

"Then we're going there."

It took them ages to make it to Cullen's quarters, he deliberately took the long way, crossing the courtyard past the blacksmiths, where he backed Talise into a shadowy corner, captured her lips in his and devoured her mouth. Nearly half a candle had burned before he let her go, her lips swollen, and her cerulean gaze cloudy with desire. In one tower he pinned her to the stone wall, her legs curling eagerly around his waist, and they kissed for several more minutes, her fingers tangled in his hair while his hands held her hips. She squirmed and writhed against him, feeling his length strain against his breeches, uncaring of the bite of his breastplate into her stomach.

At what had become their spot on the ramparts, where they snuck to steal kisses or simply be with each other, he stopped once more, lifted her onto the edge of the stone merlon, and slid between her thighs, which parted easily for him. Half-hidden by the moonless night, he rocked his hips against hers, while she gasped into his mouth, mewling for more.

Once inside his quarters, he prowled around his office, locked each door, and stood at the last one he locked, tugging his fur trimmed surcoat off, tossing it and his gloves onto his desk. Talise watched him through bright eyes, one hip leaning against the side of his desk, her fingers tracing mindless patterns on the polished wood.

"Go upstairs."

"Are you coming with me?"

"Of course. Go upstairs sweetheart." He growled the words in her ear, his hands wrapping around the end of her braid, and tugging the ribbon that held it free, the black silk sliding from her tresses. As he watched her saunter to the ladder, hips swaying, he twined the ribbon between his calloused fingers, letting it drop on his desk, before following her up to the balcony.

As soon as his booted feet cleared the balcony, Talise was on him. Her talented fingers popped open the clasps on his armor with an ease that belied how often she had done it. Somehow, she had maneuvered him to stand next to his armor stand, and she placed each piece on the wooden stand carefully. The buttons on his quilted gambeson came next, when it hung open, Cullen moved, snapped out of the sensual reverie Talise had spun around him.

His arms wrapped around her, and he walked her backwards, until her legs bumped against the bed, and she sat down. Standing over her, he tugged off his gambeson, before his hands slid into her hair, and with a delicate touch, he unraveled her braid. When her hair slid over her shoulders, wavy from being pulled up, the dark strands gleaming with a faint touch of gold in the candlelight, he leaned down, until he could press a kiss to her forehead, "Would you indulge me?"

"Seeing as how indulging you always means good things for me, of course." She nodded, masses of dark hair sliding down her shoulders and over her back in a spill of wavy chocolate strands.

Turning from her, he rummaged through one of the giant chests in his room. Talise watched him, tilting her head to one side, rising from the bed in an effort to see what Cullen was searching for. The creak of the bed gave her away, and without looking up from his task, Cullen shook his head no, "Stay there."

"My curiosity is killing me." A pout curved her full pink lips, a tempting sight for the former templar, but she sat down, her sky touched gaze sparkling with curiosity.

"I know. The and that is part of it." He turned to her, his hand clenched around a mass of midnight blue silk. As Talise sat back on the bed, an eyebrow raised, he walked back to her, leaning forward and letting the edge of the silk trail over her bare shoulder, "You need a watchword."

Talise sucked in a breath when he spoke, her eyes round and wide as she gazed up at him, "A watchword?"

"In case you need me to stop." He nodded, watching her reaction carefully. Despite his outward calm, his gentle yet domineering demeanor, was unsure of her reaction. Truthfully, he was unsure of his reaction, he had been curious, having listened to the bawdy talk of templars and soldiers, of the men he knew, for years; but that curiosity was mixed with the painful reminder of his own past.

"You've been talking to Iron Bull", Talise grinned up at him, her slim fingers flipping the end of one midnight blue tie between her fingers.

As soon as that impish grin curled her lips, Cullen relaxed, letting go of a breath he had not realized he was holding. His own lips curved in a grin, pulling the tempting line of his scar up as he did so, "I may have picked up a thing or two from him. But this is something I've been wanting to try."

"You have a thing for tying up women?", she arched an eyebrow up at him, mischief and humor in her gaze while she continued to flip the end of the tie between her fingers back and forth.

"No. Just you." The muscles in his arms bunched as he moved to lean down until he could press a gentle kiss to her mouth, "Unless you don't want to."

"Miel", the word came tumbling out of her mouth as he kissed her, a shiver of anticipation racing down her spine.

"That's Rivaini, isn't it?" Cullen's lips took a meandering path down her cheek, his teeth nipping at the curve of her jaw.

"It means honey," Her teeth sunk into her lip as she spoke, a blush heating her cheeks as she looked up at him. It took several moments for her to finish her thought, and her fingers stopped their flippant play with the tie as she spoke, "Reminds me of your eyes".

A slight flush colored his cheeks as he continued to press gentle kisses over her face, in sharp contrast to the silken ties he held in his wrist. Talise reached for the end of one, an eyebrow raising as she realized these were not simply lengths of silk. Each one was hemmed, the ends delicately sewn shut, and she was sure she felt something padded in the middle of one it, as one slid from his grasp into hers.

"I…. may have had them made." He grinned at her, the scar that ran to his lips lifting.

"You've been planning this?" The impish grin returned as she looked up at him, realizing that these were something Cullen had made, that he had been planning these, "Didn't I tell you once that this was my favorite color?"

"Well… yes." It was his turn to blush now, his cheeks warming at her question, "And yes, you did."

She grinned up at him, curling the padded portion of the tie around her slim wrist. Against the rich, dark blue, her pale skin stood out, and her eyes seemed bluer somehow, as she looked at him, "Like this?"

"Minx", he cursed slightly, watching her wind the tie around her wrist, his eyes darkening in arousal. He was aware suddenly, that his heart was pounding, hammering in his chest as he looked at her.

"Wait… I should be naked first", she unwound the tie from her wrist, letting it drop to the bed. She kicked her boots off, stood on her knees and tugged on the laces of her pants, taking the time to loosen them before she tugged her leather leggings off, taking with her the tiny triangle of silk that hid her folds from him. With a smirk, she crawled onto the bed, turning her back on Cullen, and pulled his shirt off, letting it drop onto a heap on the foot of the bed.

The entire length of her naked back was presented to him, along with the taut curves of her ass, and she reached for the lengths of midnight blue silk one more, letting it trail over the rumpled sheets and blankets as she smiled at him, a gleam of challenge in her sky-touched eyes. She was testing him, pushing at his control, and he knew it, even as a bolt of arousal coursed through him, one calloused hand reached out, and trailed down her back, running over smooth, pale skin as he spoke, his voice deepening with his desire, "The nickname Ghost is very apt. You're as pale as one."

"I got it in Rivain." She shivered, her eyes closing at the touch of his calloused fingers, tilting her head to one side as his fingers ran back up over her shoulder, revealing the creamy curve of her throat.

"I can imagine you stood out there", Cullen murmured the response, leaning away from the bed long enough to tug off the last of his clothes. As his gaze turned back to Talise, who had turned on the bed just enough to watch him, he faltered. For a moment, the memories, the pain, rushed at him, and he lost the masculine confidence he had oozed earlier.

"Cullen?" As if sensing his sudden unease, she looked over her shoulder, brows furrowing as she watched him change from confident, to suddenly unsure. Realization dawned on her, and she waited, poised on his bed, uncaring of her nudity, or anything else, waiting for him to tell her what he was struggling with, even as she knew the truth of it.

For long moments he said nothing, but merely stared at Talise. She was studying him, watching him with a gentle gaze, and that look, one of acceptance, gave him the strength to speak once more, "I know… what it's like to be bound against your will."

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than Talise moved, sliding from the bed, and reaching for him, curling her arms around his neck, "Oh Cullen. Listen to me, if you want this, we can try it. Because I want to try. But it wouldn't be against my will."

"I…" Powerful arms wrapped around her automatically, holding her to him as she spoke, and Cullen buried his chiseled face into the curve of her neck, shuddering as her warmth pressed against him.

"Cullen, listen to me. I'm already bound to you. You just can't see it." She had to stand on tiptoe, the muscles in her legs stretching as she did so, to press a kiss to his jaw, and then the scar that ran to his lips, "But if you don't want to, then we won't."

"You trust me?" Chills ran down his arms as her lips pressed against his scar, his arms shaking slightly as he held onto Talise's slim frame.

"With my life." The words were pressed into his stubbled cheek as Talise spoke, brushing her soft, full lips against his skin gently.

A shiver wracked his form, and his arms slid around her waist, "I…."

"Sit down Cullen", she stepped away from him, and watched him through bright eyes. Knowing his fascination with her hair, her hands rose to the dark tresses, lifting the heavy mass in her hands, and tousling the strands, letting them flow down her back and over her shoulders in a gleaming river.

Even as he sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers were reaching for the ends of her hair, only for the silken strands to slide out of his reach, as Talise moved between his knees, and then slid down to hers. Slowly, she held her hands up, wrists pressed together, in a carnal offering, "Only if you want to. Only for you."

Calloused hands shook as he reached for one of the silken ties, wrapping it gently, but thoroughly around her wrists, tying it with a knot he could pull free in one tug if needed. His fingers slid between the silk and her skin, pulling it, making sure she would not chafe, even as his fingers trembled. Suddenly he was aware that he was hard, throbbing with want and need as she sat before him.

One hand held Talise's bound ones, and she looked up at him with acceptance, and love, as she sat, waiting for him. His free hand slid back into her hair, running through her strands gently, coasting over her high cheekbones, before he took her in, she was kneeling on the floor, atop his leather breeches, her high breasts mostly hidden behind a curtain of deep, chocolate dark hair, her bound wrists held by his hand, which dwarfed both of hers.

"Maker… I love you." Cullen was struck then, by a bolt of arousal, and by a current of emotion. Talise was giving him a chance to explore, a chance to heal his own wounds, she was doing something for him she would not do for any other man. No man would ever have her like this, he was seeing a side of her she gave only to him, and she was doing it willingly.

"Love you too." Her eyes traced of his features, the planes of his face, the scar that cut down to his lip, the stubble covering his cheeks, and she leaned up to brush a kiss against his cheeks.

Cullen responded, tugging her by her bound wrists to him, his free hand sliding down her back to cup the curves of her ass in his hand, holding her to him as her lips parted. He held her there for long moments, tongue twisting around hers, rubbing in an insistent rhythm, until they were both gasping for breath. When he leaned back, Talise squirmed, sliding from his grasp, and sunk back to her knees, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses over his chest, and down his stomach. Just below his navel, she raked her teeth across his skin, sucking on the mark she left behind, before glancing up at him through her sooty lashes.

"Can I use my hands?... Or just my mouth?" A very wicked grin lifted the lips of her mouth as she looked up at him, her tongue tracing a path downwards past his navel.

"Maker... Talise… what are you doing?" Cullen gasped, his arms shaking as he held himself up off the bed, amber eyes darkening with arousal as her lips and that talented tongue slid further down.

"Pleasing you." She slid further down, feeling his hips jerk as her chin slid over the head of his swollen cock. A gasp from Cullen, and her tongue slid down his length in tiny, barely-there flicks, her lips pressing kisses into his length, "Does this not please you?"

"You have no idea how much it does please me…" He ground the words out, falling back to the bed onto one elbow, pleasure rending him incapable of sitting up. One muscular arm lifted to press against his eyes, his free hand dug into the sheets, gripping a handful tightly, the image of Talise, sitting on her knees, hands bound in that deep blue silk, full pouty lips almost closed around the head of his length too much for him to bear, "Maker… please…"

"I live to serve", she whispered the words, her lips closing around him, cheeks hollowed as she sucked on his length. Each time she lifted her head she drew the flat of her tongue against his length, curled it around the head, flicked it against the sensitive underside in a pattern he couldn't make out, but it made his hips lift from the bed to press harder into her mouth.

Cullen lost all sense of time as Talise sat between his legs, occasionally lifting her head to nip at the inside of his thighs, leaving stinging marks on his skin, or to lick and trail her lips up and down his length, before returning to sucking on his length, her mouth sliding up and down his length in gentle movements. When she returned to flicking her tongue in against that most sensitive spot on his cock, he groaned, lifting his head to watch her; his warm honeyed gaze was met by her bright one, a gleam of mischief in her eyes as she parted her lips, letting him watch her trail her tongue over his length.

"What… what are you doing?" One hand slid over her dark, satiny tresses, his fingers shaking as she continued her pleasurable work. He was long past the ability to hold himself up, and he reached with his other hand towards the head of the bed, grabbing a pillow and stuffing it behind his head.

"Writing…" she leaned forward, tracing her tongue over his length once more, "My name…"

"With your tongue… Fuck…" He finished for her, his hips jerking up off the bed as she repeated her actions, a groan torn from his throat, his hands fisting in the bed.

"MmmHmmm..." she murmured her answer, tongue curling around his swollen tip. Her perspective gaze, trained to watch a target, focused on Cullen, and she watched the way his hands flexed on the bed, his hips jerked from the bed, the muscles in his thighs flexing.

His lashes obscured his gaze as his eyes fell closed, only to jerk open when she sunk her teeth into his thigh, harder this time, leaving a perfect impression of her teeth in his skin. The pain quickly faded into a pleasurable burn, and he gritted his teeth when she smirked up at him, one of his hands leaving the bed to curl into her hair, "Minx…"

"Just marking my territory." With a wide smirk on her face, her mouth moved back to his length, sucking him into her mouth in one smooth move, until she could not breath for a moment, and she swallowed, her throat closing around his length.

Cullen realized with a jolt that although she was on her knees before him, hands bound, they were sharing control. She had submitted to him, but there was power in that, he was the one gasping and squirming on the bed. The hand that held her hair tightened, and he groaned helplessly, his hips lifting from the bed to meet her lips. Talise murmured in approval, and she sucked on his length harder, no longer toying with him, dragging the flat of her tongue over him in the way she had learned he liked best, and was rewarded with a harsh curse, his hand jerking almost painfully in his hair.

"Talise… you have to stop…" He gasped out the words, hips lifting from the bed even as he struggled to speak.

"Stop asking… take what you need." She murmured the words to him, pressing a wet kiss to the head of his cock, her tongue flicking down over that sensitive spot once more.

"Maker Talise…." Cullen ground the words out, as she sucked on him again, and then speech was beyond him. He moaned, his hips lifting from the bed to meet her mouth. The hand not holding her hair twitched at his side, gripping the sheets restlessly, digging into the bedding as pleasure raced down his spine. When she sucked hard on him, her bound hands wrapped around the base of his length, sliding up to meet her pouty lips, he felt the ends of the silken tie trail over his skin, and he groaned.

Her name was a prayer, a curse, a plea, her mouth was too much, not enough, and then he was shouting, roaring into the night as Talise pushed him over the edge with the flick of her tongue. His vision went dark around the edges, his hips lifted from the bed, each movement sending more of his seed into her willing mouth, his entire body jerked as she swallowed, and then continued to suck on him. When he dropped back to the bed, his chest heaving, Talise let him slip from her mouth, her tongue trailing over his twitching length with a gentle lapping motion. He groaned, his hand falling from her hair to land limply on the bed.

"Did that please you?" she smiled up at him, pressing one last gentle kiss to the head of his cock, sitting back on her heels as she did so.

"Maker yes…" his hands shook as he reached for hers, her bound wrists propped on his thigh, and he curled his hand around hers, pulling her up to the mattress, until she could curl up against him. For a moment they rested there, Cullen's heart racing beneath Talise's smooth cheek, his hand trailing down her back in mindless circles, "Everything you did pleases me. But that… was… I saw the inside of the Black City."

His gaze dropped down to his stomach, where her wrists, still bound, rested, and one finger reached to trace over the silken tie. Gently he slid her from his side, and stood up, leaning to grab a bottle of wine from the table nearest his bed. Earlier this evening he had thought to bring it up here, and now he was grateful for it as he poured some into a goblet, and held it out to her lips, instead of handing it to her. Blinking in surprise, she sipped from the goblet as he held it, before pushing it away with her finger tips, and she watched as he drained it in one gulp.

Turning back to Talise, Cullen moved back onto the bed, sliding her further up the bed, until she was stretched across it, her small toes digging into the sheets. One hand reached for a spare tie, and he looped it around the headboard, tying one end loosely around the silken tie binding Talise's wrists. As he ran his fingers underneath the tie on her wrists, tugging on it to make sure it was loose enough to keep from hurting her, his gaze swept over her naked form, stretching out on the bed, "Remember your watchword?"

"Yes."

"Tell me."

"Miel."

"That's my good girl", he murmured the words hotly in her ear, his teeth nipping at the tender skin behind it. Mirroring her actions from earlier, he kissed his way down her chest, stopping at her high breasts, the cool breeze that filtered in to his room had her pale pink nipples drawn tight, and she squirmed as he ran his tongue over each one. His hands cupped the lush curves in his hands, plumping them up higher for his mouth, and he sucked and licked his way over her skin, his stubble leaving marks on the tender skin.

More of the candles had burned down before he lifted his head from her breasts, which were pink and swollen from his attentions. Talise was squirming on the bed, pressing her thighs together on the bed in a futile attempt to assuage the slick want that had grown with every pass of his tongue over her high breasts. Cullen smiled down at her, brushing strands of hair away from her sweaty, flushed face.

Calloused fingers slid down her side and up the inside of her thigh, slipping over the porcelain smooth skin, running up and down in a gentle, teasing pattern, his calloused fingers running up almost to the slick folds between her thighs, before sliding back down. When he felt the moisture slicking over even the tops of her thighs, he groaned, arousal flicking back to life in his golden gaze, "Oh sweetheart… you're already so wet."

Tied as she was to the bed, her arms stretched above her head, she could do little more than part her thighs, a whine in the back of her throat. She panted as she looked up at him, her fingers curling into her palms to keep from pulling at the silken ties that held her to bed.

"I know what you're expecting, that I'll tease you." He growled in her ear, leaning down to nip and suck on the tender skin of her throat.

"No… please… no."

"You're right. I'm not going to tease you." He grinned, the bed creaking softly as he moved, sliding between her thighs. He had not tied her legs, and now she suddenly knew why, with her legs free, he could drape her slender thighs over his shoulder. His stubble rubbed around the skin of her calf as he kissed her leg, going down to the arch of her foot, smirking when she jerked her foot away from him, his fingers tightening around her calf. His lips coasted back up her leg, he reached for her other leg, spreading it open, as he draped the thigh he was holding back onto his shoulder.

"What are you going to do?" She trembled as he spread her thighs, a blush darkening her cheeks, and then sliding down her slender throat. Even while she blushed she was spreading her legs further open for Cullen, offering herself up to him on a whimper.

"Give you what you want… over and over and over. Until you can't take the pleasure." The smile on his face was predatory as he drew one broad, calloused fingers over her slick folds, rubbing gently against the swollen bundle of nerves that caught his attention.

Talise hissed in a breath, gasping for air as her hips jerked. A blush colored her cheeks, the tips of her ears, and started to slide down her neck, her wrists jerked on the silken ties, her fingers gripping the dangling ends of midnight blue in a desperate bid to hold onto something. His breath ghosted over her as he touched her, rubbing against her swollen clit, dipping inside of her folds, and then slipping back out once more. The gentle teasing rhythm had her hovering on the edge before she could even breathe properly, she arched from the bed as her climax overtook her, her breathless whimper growing into a near scream as he slid one finger, then another into her. She pulsed around his fingers, her body shaking as her hips rocked to meet his fingers.

With a moan she fell back to the bed, blinking hazy eyes down at him, where he was propped up on one arm, her leg still hanging over his shoulder. His fingers had stilled, but he kept them inside of her, watching her face as she came back to awareness with a sigh. When the haze of pleasure cleared from her sky-touched eyes, he moved then, gently pressing his fingers up, searching for that spot within her.

Talise did not close her eyes so much as they rolled back in her head, and could not help the whimper that fell from her lips, a softly-whispered curse in Rivaini, his name. When the tips of his fingers rubbed over that tender spot, her legs jerked out of reflex, her arms pulled hard on the ties, and she squealed, her toes curling against Cullen's back. He smiled up at her, a lazy, predatory grin as he continued to press against her, his fingers sliding back and forth as they stroked in and out. She lost the ability to speak, her lips opening and closing as she gasped, her hips squirming on the bed, it was too much, she was too tender and swollen after her climax, but Cullen was relentless, continuing to rub against her as his fingers slid in and out of her body.

"Love… I don't speak Rivaini…" he smirked up at her, his hips pressing tightly against the bed, seeking any relief as his length suddenly swelled, throbbing with his heartbeat. A soft hiss left him as he slid against the smooth sheets, his fingers sliding into her harder than before.

"Don't… don't… don't…" she was torn between begging him to stop, and begging him not to stop as he continued to torment her. Her legs shifted restlessly, her smooth skin sliding over his shoulder as she squirmed, one moment she lifted up to him, and the next her hips jerked away.

"Don't?" His fingers gentled, sliding in and out of her, pressing against that swollen spot within her still, but slower, as she squirmed, his arousal-darkened gaze watching her face intently.

As soon as his fingers slowed down, she moaned, her arms pulling hard on the ties, not caring of the red stripes that decorated her wrists. Her hips lifted to his fingers willingly now, her legs spreading further open for him. Cullen responded as Talise curved up from the bed again, her back arching, and his fingers pressed insistently, but painfully gentle, into her slick folds. Overly sensitive, her body already tuned to his touch, Talise shuddered, pushed gently towards another climax. It washed over her in waves, and she pulsed around his fingers, slickness dripping off his fingers as he continued to slide them in her.

Even as she shuddered from her orgasm, he ducked his head, running the flat of his tongue over her swollen clit, sucking on it briefly. Talise screamed, her hips pushing towards her mouth, greedy for the feeling again, and Cullen was all too eager to give it to her. Remembering what she had done earlier, the tip of his tongue flicked over her sensitive flesh in repetitive motions, while Talise quivered beneath him.

She had just enough time to suck in a breath, before his tongue flicked out that pattern again, and Talise knew what he was doing, pressing his name into her willing folds as she laid tied to the bed. When he dragged the flat of his tongue over her again, parting her folds and then sliding over the swollen bud of nerves once more, Talise shrieked, her body pulsing as once more she climaxed. This time her arousal leaked onto the sheets, slicked the tops of her thighs, as she bowed from the bed, the muscles in her arms aching as she pulled on the ties.

The bed creaked, the wood protesting as Talise pulled on the ties, lithe muscles taut, without lifting his head from between her thighs Cullen reached a powerful arm up, sliding over her body, and pulled on the slipknot, tugging it free. His hand curled around the ties, holding her arms in place as he continued to lick her, feeling her folds pulse against his lips and tongue.

Miel. The word was on the tip of her tongue, her overstimulated flesh pulsing with each brush of his tongue against her. It felt too good to stop, but too much to continue at the same time, and she stayed where she was, sweaty and arching from the bed, her leg tightening against the shoulder. When he finally lifted her head she whimpered, suddenly aware that tears had gathered in her eyes.

Crystalline tears slid down her cheeks, and Cullen moved then, tugging her to him, gathering her trembling form in his arms, kissing her tears away as she shivered. Even as she struggled to breathe, gasping against the scar on his shoulder, her legs wrapped around his waist, and she rubbed shamelessly against him, hearing him growl in her ear.

"Talise… stop.." Despite his concern, he could not help but respond, rocking against her slick folds, feeling them part in wet welcome around his cock.

"No… don't want to…" She moaned the words out, lifting her still bound hands until she could fold her arms around his neck. Silken ties trailed over his skin as she moved, and he shuddered, burying his face in her dark hair, now damp with sweat and tangled from her tossing and turning upon his bed.

Trembling hands cupped her smooth cheeks, holding her still as he looked down at her. The tears were gone from her eyes, and she looked up at him with arousal dark eyes, the black of her pupils nearly overtaking the cerulean of her gaze. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, bruised from her own teeth, and she pressed them against his, sliding her fingers into his hair, "Please Cullen… please… I need you."

Heat flared over his skin, and he moved, pressing his length into her, groaning in relief as her folds parted for him once more, and he slid into her. She was swollen from his attention, puffy with arousal, and she pulsed around him as he moved, Cullen cursed out loud then, his hands tightening into the sheets around her head as he started to move. Talise whimpered, feeling the familiar stretch, even as wet as she was, it skated the edge of pain, until she relaxed, and he was buried within her.

Talise whined each time he slid from her, her legs tightening around his hips in a reflexive response to try and keep him buried within her, but each time he slid forward, he pulled away slower, until she was quivering in his arms. One muscled arm slid underneath her arched back, pulling her closer to him, the other braced himself above her, and he continued his slow torment of her body. When she started to shake, quivering against the bed, he smiled at her, leaning down to press a tender kiss to her forehead, the movement at odds with the carnal way he was taking her.

"Please Cullen… please please…" She was trembling on the edge once more, heat flicking through her body each time he moved.

"Stop asking Talise… take what you need my good girl." He whispered the words she had told him in her ear, teeth sinking into the tender lobe as he spoke, biting gently. Cullen knew what she was trembling for, what she was begging for, and his hips snapped against hers harder, the swollen head of his cock pressing against that sweet spot inside of her with each stroke.

Talise hovered on the edge still, her body tightening around his with each thrust, her fingers tightening in Cullen's golden curls, until finally, with one well-timed thrust, she came. Her back bowed, pushing her breasts against the muscles of his chest, her legs tightened around his waist, and she pulsed around him, squeezing around his cock tightly in rhythmic waves. It was too much, and Cullen buried himself in her, his hips pushing to try and get closer to her, deeper into her. As she squeezed around him, he let out a shout, his vision growing white, then dark as his climax over took him. Buried within her, his seed flooded her in spurts, his hips jerking with the force of his orgasm, toes curling into the sheets.

They rocked together, her hips meeting the gentle thrusts of his hips, as they panted, the pleasure slowly receding. His lips met hers, and he kissed her languidly, rubbing his hips against her lazily, finally easing from her body. One large hand slid down her body, cupping her slick mound in his hand, squeezing gently, pressing against her folds, as he leaned up, using his free hand to tug the ties that still bound her wrists free. The silken ties dropped to the bed in a wrinkled heap as he pressed his hand against her, a primal urge to keep his seed within her overtaking him.

Gently he moved, sliding his hand from her slick folds, gripping one slim thigh in his hand, he pushed her legs together. The cloud of arousal and masculine dominance had not yet left him, and he pushed her thighs tight together, murmuring in her ear as he did, "Don't waste any of it."

Talise blinked hazy eyes up at him, and she whined as he pressed his hand against her, the tips of his fingers slipping past her dripping folds, and pressing just barely into her, before his calloused hands pushed her thighs together, "Cullen… "

"I know love…" he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her lips once more, his hand coasting over her breasts, rubbing gently against her swollen, pink nipples. With a groan he stretched out atop the sheets, pulling her frame against his, burying his stubble-covered face in her dark hair and breathing the scent of her in.

For a few moments every care he had, the weight of responsibility, of leadership, it all left him, while he focused on drawing patterns against the milky skin of her back. Reality intruded as he heard the guards changing rotations, boots echoing across the top of the stone ramparts, with a heavy sigh, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I have no idea if we will win this war Talise."

Her answer was resolute, and determination shining in her sky touched gaze as she lay on his bed, her skin still pink and flushed, "I do. We are going to win this war. When this is all over, and we have peace again…"

He cupped her small chin in his calloused palm, searching her eyes with his own. She was certain, so sure of herself, and he suddenly found himself believing again, "When this is over, things will change between us."

"How?" a dark brow lifted in question as she looked up at him, her chin cradled in his large palm. In the last of the flickering candlelight, the candles now mostly puddles of wax, her eyes looked more luminous than usual, meeting his amber gaze.

Cullen could not keep the sigh from escaping him, as he looked into her shining eyes. Gently his thumb traced over her cheek, calloused from swordplay it rubbed against the smooth curve of her cheekbone as he spoke, "I won't want to be parted from you."

"You'll have me. I told you I'll follow you anywhere Cullen."

"And Nightreach?"

"Is home to more than just me. We can visit. We can live there, we can explore the world."

"I had thought to start a home of sorts. A place where templars could safely come off lyrium, a place where those who are lost to it can pass their final days." He whispered the words, as the candles started to wink out, slowly darkening his room.

For a long moment Talise said nothing, studying him in the dying candlelight, her teeth sinking into her lip as she gathered her courage. It took effort to keep her voice neutral, to keep her words even, "You know… there is a spot tucked away from the keep, it needs work, a new roof, but it could be a good place to start."

His head lifted from the pillow to look down at her, golden eyes wide as he moved, "Talise, you don't have to do that."

"I know. I'm doing it because I want to."

"Balancing the scales again."

She nodded, rubbing her cheek against his hand, "You don't have to… but it will be there if you want to."

"When this is over I will have to go home. Mia will kill me if I don't", he chuckled at the thought, his sister's last letter had practically demanded he come home.

"I want to take you to Rivain, there is a spot where the desert meets the ocean that is truly magical. The rains come once a year, and it grows lush and green." Talise smiled at the idea, her eyes turning soft and dreamy at the mention of Rivain, revealing the depth of emotion for the place she considered her second home.

They whispered to each other, making plans, dreams for a future threatened by an unimaginable evil. Locked in his room, wrapped around each other, Talise believed with an almost religious fervor that their dreams would all come true. She seemed so sure of things, so determined that things would turn out right, that Cullen could not help but believe her, and as the night drug on, they found themselves dreaming up plans, things to do, places to go visit, an entire life started to come into focus, just beyond the horizon.


	16. Chapter 16

"You cannot defeat a warrior in open combat", Talise stood in the sparring ring, warm sunshine sparkling red and gold in her dark hair, the long strands lifted into a high ponytail. Deftly she flipped a small dagger through her fingers as she spoke, standing in front of a small group of scouts. Her lessons had moved from a small room within the keep to outside, and now they were gathered into a small knot in the sparring ring, "They have more strength than you do."

"So how do we fight them?" A scout spoke up, sharp eyes following Talise's movements.

"You have several things in your favor. Your speed. Your skills. And your lack of armor", Talise continued to walk amongst the scouts, as she spoke.

"They wear plate and we don't. How is that in our favor?" The scout followed Talise as she spoke, sharp eyes taking in her small form.

She nodded in agreement to the scout's words, but held up the hand not twirling the small dagger, "Plate is far heavier than the armor most of us wear. And that means…"

"We can move faster." Another scout spoke, understanding starting to gleam in her dark brown gaze.

"We can move more." One more scout spoke, nodding in agreement.

"We can fight for longer." Gaining in confidence, the answers started to come faster and faster as Talise walked amongst the scouts, weaving through the small crowd.

"All excellent answers. And all of them are true", Talise came to a stop, standing in front of Blackwall. The Grey Warden had come down to the training ring earlier, listening intently as Talise taught and guided the scouts, "With the exception of Wardens. I still don't know how they do it, but they can fight longer and harder than most warriors. You won't be able to outlast a Warden."

"But you can still move faster than most of us." Blackwall spoke then, "My armor is meant to take a blow, but it does hamper movement slightly. Talise favors a very agile fighting style, and it is hard to fight back against that in full plate."

"Exactly. Every opponent you will face has a weakness. Warriors in general have weaknesses, and those that specialize in fighting styles have specialized weaknesses. Your job, is to find out those weaknesses, and exploit them." She flipped the dagger in the air, the dark steel gleamed dully in the late afternoon sunlight, and slid it easily into the underside of one of her bracers.

"Remember to study your opponent." Blackwall's voice rumbled as he spoke, his eyes tracking over Talise's movements. She would have been a boon to the Wardens, her senses finally tuned, her focus razor sharp, and her fighting style almost unnatural.

Talise nodded at Blackwall's words, her deft fingers continuing to flip the dagger over and over as she spoke, "If you find yourself in a fight without knowing much about your opponent, you've made a mistake. Use stealth and shadows to watch your opponents, before you make a move."

Out of the corner of her eye she caught the shining, tawny golden gleam of Cullen's hair, carefully swept back, and for a moment she paused, before facing her scouts again, "Templars hold their shields angled down, for instance, it's a habit from dealing with mages. So, you won't be able to go under them."

The scouts nodded, all of them looking towards the small group of templars gathered, who in turn looked at each other, and then back at the scouts. She tugged on the shield Blackwall carried, and the black-haired Warden, catching on to what she wanted, pulled it over his shoulder, holding it as he were facing an opponent.

"But that means you have a clearer shot over the top of the shield." Talise tugged on the shield once more, and Blackwall moved his arm, until it was angled down, the way Templars carried theirs. She slid one small hand over the top of the shield, demonstrating as she spoke.

"They wear helmets." The same scout that had mentioned the plate armor spoke again, revealing a weakness, he was unused to fighting warriors in plate.

"They do. A well-placed dagger can get under the helmet and over the gorget around their throat. Or under the arm. You don't need to land a killing blow, just enough to slow them down, or incapacitate them for a few moments." Talise motioned to one of the templars, "Can we pick on you for a moment?"

The young templar blinked, his eyes wide as he took in the scouts, all studying him openly, and he flushed in response, turning to Cullen. The Commander did not answer for a moment, he was staring at Talise with an almost dreamy expression on his face, lost in thought. When the templar cleared his throat, Cullen flushed, and nodded to the templar, "Go on. It's a good idea."

Instead of sparring with the templar, Talise had the scouts try to find weak points in his armor, pointing out areas they missed. Her fingers slid beneath the templar's bracer, wiggling it and demonstrating how you could get a dagger into it, cutting into the arm, and Cullen moved, stepping into the sparring ring.

"This is why you must make sure your armor fits well. A dagger cannot penetrate plate, and an assassin or spy won't try to. They'll try to get under or around the armor. It only takes a small cut for a poisoned blade to make you ill." He spoke to the templars and warriors, his honeyed gaze flicking over them as he took an opportunity to teach them.

"I'd say Talise has done a fine job of getting under yours Commander", Blackwall grinned as he held an arm out for a scout to inspect.

"Yes… well…" Cullen blushed to the roots of his hair, while Talise smirked up at him from the opposite side of the templar.

"We can't say Cullen has gotten under Talise's armor, since she doesn't like wearing much of it" Iron Bull grinned, leaning on the wooden fence of the ring, his great axe propped up against it.

"We are not talking about me. Or Cullen" Talise fought back a grin even as she spoke, "We're training."

"Have you and the Commander sparred yet?" A templar blurted out the question, only to flush when several of the scouts started giggling.

"I'd wager they have." A Templar spoke then, grinning openly at his commanding officer. Cullen reflexively rubbed at the back of his neck, words beyond him for a moment. While he was openly courting Talise now, no longer even trying to hide his feelings for her, the knowledge that everyone knew, all those rumors had turned out to be true, still brought a flush to his cheeks.

"Last time they sparred we heard them", the grin on Iron Bull's face was positively wicked, and both Cullen and Talise blushed at his words.

"No… I meant…" The templar, a young man who could not yet even grow a full beard, was blushing harder than either the commander or the famed assassin, if that was possible.

"To answer your question, we've been in this practice ring a few times." Talise grinned at the templar, dropping into a perfect curtsy, even in fitted leggings, in front of Cullen, "What say you, Commander Rutherford, shall we?"

For an answer, Cullen shrugged his surcoat off, and hung it on the fence of the sparring ring, as a cheer went through the templars gathered to watch, drawing even more attention. He did not preen, or taunt Talise, he simply stood in the middle of the ring, quietly exuding a dominant, masculine strength as he watched her with honeyed eyes.

As they stood there, staring at each other, eyes meeting each other in a clash of golden amber and sky-touched blue, Talise slid a long dagger from the harness on her back, and Cullen held out an arm, taking the shield offered from a nearby templar. A whispered rush slid around the ring, Iron Bull taking several bets as Talise started to circle Cullen with slow, predatory steps. Her free hand reached for the black scarf she wore, and she drew the dark material up over her full-lipped mouth, and then her nose, until the edge rested on her full cheek bones, obscuring her features from view. It was not a move meant to hide her face, everyone knew who she was already, but as that scarf slid over her features, Talise faded from view. When her bright gaze lifted to Cullen's again, it was the Ghost of Ferelden looking up at him.

He sucked in a breath, the air ringing with noise as he slid his sword free of its scabbard, turning slowly as Talise moved, not yet daring to move against her, keeping his shield held close to him. Old habits, ingrained to him for years, had him holding his shield tilted down, just as Talise had mentioned, and she lifted a dark brow at it, then looked back up at him. Another dagger slid into view, and the assassin spun it in her grasp, until the length of it ran alongside her wrist, she would block with that one, a move Cullen had watched numerous times.

The air grew thick with anticipation, every scout and templar seemed to hold their breath, Iron Bull and Blackwall exchanged knowing grins, and Talise started to edge closer to Cullen as she prowled around him. She would be within striking distance of his sword soon, would have to counter the momentum from his shield, avoid his sword, and just as he moved, pushing out with his shield, a scream echoed from inside the keep.

The noise hung in the air for a moment, echoing off the ancient, magical stones of the keep. Talise blinked, her gaze darting from Cullen to the keep. The soldiers and templars watching the fight reached for their weapons, Iron Bull and Blackwall both drew their swords, as the crowd gathered around the ring continued to watch the main doors of the keep.

A moment later, Varric burst from through the doors, shouting about an assassin attack, followed closely by Cassandra, who shouted over the dwarf, the House of Repose was making a move against Josephine. Cullen and Talise sprang into action, the commander sent soldiers to the main keep, and then some towards the gates of the castle. Blackwall followed the soldiers, pushing to the lead and shouting for Josephine as he ran into the main keep, sword drawn, shield held at the ready. Talise rounded up the scouts, sending them towards the ramparts, shouting a reminder to remember their training.

Sera stood beside her, her golden blonde hair gleaming in the light as the elf looked at Talise, "Some of yours then?"

"Orlesian. I told Josephine this damn plan of hers wasn't going to work", Talise slid her daggers back into their sheaths on her back, pointing towards Cullen's quarters, "They're going to make a run for it. I'm going to watch from there."

"Bit obvious, don't you think?" Sera giggled as she slid an arrow lose from the quiver on her back.

"Yes, but that's the point. If they're in the keep, if they've been paying attention, they know Cullen and I are… close. They'll assume I'll hunt for them from a safe spot, and that includes Cullen's quarters." As she spoke, Talise turned, heading for the stairs past the Herald's Rest, the end of her dark ponytail swinging as she moves.

"Which are above the main gate. Fastest way out of the castle, and she'll be sitting over it", Iron Bull grinned as he moved, making his way towards Cassandra. The Seeker and the Qunari mercenary exchanged glances, before heading towards the barn, intent on sweeping it for anyone trying to steal a mount an escape.

Talise's booted feet came to a stop above the main gate, and she tugged at the black scarf up over mouth and nose, up to her high cheekbones, obscuring the lower half of her face. Her gaze narrowed on the doors to the main hall, as a shadowy figure emerged, moving down the steps, almost a blur of movement. Sera leaned out of the door to Cullen's office, having seen the same figure, and at Talise's nod, the elf knocked an arrow in her bow, aiming for the figure.

Talise slipped down the stairs, cloaking herself in shadows as she moved to the path heading towards the main gate. The Orlesian assassin was too busy looking over his shoulder, the keep was bristling with soldiers, all of them armed and looking for Josephine's attackers. When his gaze swung back to the main keep, he slid to a stop, just within arm's reach of Talise. She had appeared out of thin air, shadows swirling and solidifying into her form just as the other assassin had turned to look towards the main gate.

"Ghost… you must understand. We had a contract to fulfill", the man nearly babbled, his eyes wide as he took in the sight before him. Talise was regarding him through bright eyes, her gaze focused on him, and cold with intensity as she stared at him.

She said nothing in return, but the hiss of steel sounded in the air as she drew a long dagger, dripping with a purple poison so dark it nearly appeared black. Her opponent blinked, reached for his last dagger, and Talise struck. In a blur of movement, she moved, embedding the poisoned dagger in his neck with one move, and then stepping back out of his reach.

Slowly the assassin dropped to his knees, hands rising to the dagger in his throat, as a crowd of people gathered. Cassandra and Iron Bull pushed their way past the people, both had drawn their weapons when Talise had appeared; the Seeker looked wide-eyed as the dying assassin fell to his knees, fingers wrapped around Talise's dagger, streaks of purple already starting to show on his face, the poison flowing through the man's veins. Bull kept his great axe pointed at the man, but his gaze flicked to Talise, taking in her appearance as she stood, watching the man slowly die.

"Well little love… you just appeared out of thin air", the Qunari mercenary grinned at her, finally lifting his axe as the assassin fell face first into the cold mud.

"I have that habit", her words were muffled behind the scarf that covered her mouth and cheeks. The assassin's body was still twitching, his fingers digging into the mud in one last futile attempt at survival. Talise leaned down, and tugged the dagger from the man's neck; despite the coldness in her gaze, she murmured a short prayer, and closed the dead man's eyes with a gloved hand.

"Blackwall took one down in Josephine's office, Cullen and Christopher cornered the last one in the library." Cassandra held out a scrap of cloth to Talise, and then sheathed her own sword.

"Is everyone alright?" Talise took the cloth Cassandra offered, wiping down her dagger carefully before she sheathed it.

"Valissia and Amelia were there when the assassin got to the library, but they are fine" Cassandra answered, motioning with a hand towards the keep.

"And Christopher? And Cul—The Commander?" she turned her gaze to the soldier who had spoken.

"The Herald has a few cuts. Valissia healed the Commander after the assassin was killed." Iron Bull watched Talise as she bent down, searching through the now dead's assassin's pockets. Nimble fingers flipped open pockets, tugging a few notes free.

"Cullen took a hard blow to the head", Cassandra spoke then, her eyes widening as the look on Talise's face turned murderous, already soldiers were coming to move the assassin's body. Cassandra gave a few orders to the soldiers, and turned back to look at Talise, only to find the assassin was stalking up the steps to the main hall of the keep.

Both the Seeker and the Qunari warrior followed Talise, as she walked towards the main hall of the keep, easily taking the stairs two at a time. She had yet to tug down the scarf covering the lower half of her face, and dressed in black armor, weapons visible, she was an intimidating sight for many, who had never seen her work before. The crowd of onlookers that had gathered in the main hall parted like the ocean for Talise, as she strode in, her eyes gleaming with a barely held anger.

Josephine's eyes widened as Talise stepped up to them. She was holding a bandage to Blackwall's arm, and the Warden was insisting that he was fine. His complaints died as he saw Talise, standing before him, bristling with anger, and seeming to have every dagger and knife in all Skyhold on her frame somewhere.

"Are we done trying to be diplomatic about this?" Talise tugged down the scarf as she spoke, raising a dark eyebrow at Josephine.

"We need to explore every possible diplomatic avenue", Josephine responded, tying the bandage around Blackwall's arm.

"We have. The Du Paraquettes are not going to let this matter drop, obviously, or they would have canceled the contract with the House of Repose", one gloved hand gestured to soldiers, as they carried the body of an assassin out of the keep.

"I have to agree with Talise. If there is a way to resolve this faster, than we need to take it", Blackwall murmured.

"There is a way. We take the contract out of the vaults. Without a contract to honor, they will back off", Leliana spoke, slightly winded, carrying her bow with her as she walked up behind Talise.

"I agree with Leliana", Iron Bull chimed in, settling his great axe on his back.

"This is my problem, and I do not wish to make any trouble", The Antivan ambassador shook her head no at Leliana, still holding a bandage to Blackwall's arm.

"You already have Josephine", as Talise spoke, her gaze lifted to Cullen and Christopher, emerging from the library. Cullen was rubbing at a tender spot on the back of his head, Christopher had his arm wrapped around Valissia, who leaned heavily on him, clearly exhausted, "You made trouble when you insisted this stupid idea of raising a bunch of idiots to nobility. And Christopher, you're a bigger idiot for going along with it."

Talise had never spoken with so much venom in her voice, and the Herald, over a foot taller than her, stopped in his tracks, his dark green gaze wide. Beside him, Valissia pushed away from his side, glaring up at him, "Is this about this thing with Josephine? I told you the House of Repose would not let this go."

"I thought it would be better to take a more diplomatic approach with this." Christopher muttered, dropping his gaze from Valissia's furious gray eyes.

"Well, we now know clearly they won't stop. I am not letting another one of their assassin's into Skyhold", Talise shot an icy glare at Josephine, and the ambassador blinked in response, unused to this side of the assassin.

"I agree. It would have been faster to do it this way from the beginning" Leiliana spoke, coming to stand behind Talise, "I will send my best agents."

"I still think we coul…" still determined to bring her problems to a diplomatic end, Josephine continued to argue, letting Valissia take the bandage from her arm. The redheaded mage looked closely at the wound, before holding her hand over the cut, a soothing green glow emanating from her hand as she healed the wound.

"Thank you, milady,", Blackwall briefly watched, but kept his gaze locked on Josephine as he was healed.

Talise shook her head at the ambassador, the movement sending the end of her ponytail slithering over one black-leather covered shoulder, "You can do whatever you want Josephine. I'm going to the House of Repose, I'm getting into the vaults, and I am destroying the contract. If your diplomatic connections can get your plan accomplished before I get to the contract, so be it."

"And if I don't approve of this idea?" Christopher arched a dark eyebrow in question, folding his large arms over his equally large chest.

"Unless you plan on throwing me in jail, and putting me under guard, I'm going to the House of Repose. You can disapprove it all you want, it won't stop me." Talise met Christopher's gaze with her own, clearly not backing down from her plan.

Amelia swiped at her mouth, wiping away the blood from a split lip, "I'll go get my gear."

"Do you need me to go?" Valissia questioned, not lifting her storm-colored gaze from Blackwall's arm as she studied the healed wound.

Talise lifted one shoulder in a shrug, her blackened armor shifting as she moved, "If you want to. I won't take you into the vaults with me though."

"No. Valissia is not going." Christopher spoke then, and shook his head, crossing powerful arms over a well-muscled chest, giving Valissia a commanding look.

"The decision is not yours to make Christopher, and since you already took the wrong course of action here, I'm going to agree with Talise on this one." At the Herald's tone, Valissia looked up, arching an eyebrow in challenge. Her voice dripped with ice as she said his name, each word carefully enunciated, a clear indication of her annoyance.

Cullen had not spoken a word during the dispute, uncharacteristically choosing to stay quiet. The change in Talise, from the sweet, soft woman who held him during nightmares, to the focused, intense, assassin standing in front of him, was startling. She was openly questioning the Herald's decisions, had snapped at Josephine, and had stated her intentions, ignoring the Herald's objections.

"I don't disagree with the decision. But perhaps we should wait until we are all cooled off", he spoke then, pulling his hand away from his throbbing head. The blow he had taken had stunned him, which had been the intent, and he saw stars for several moments, gathering his wits about him in time to stop an assassin who was fighting with Amelia.

"I am perfectly calm", Talise's sharp retort, and the gleam in her summer bright gaze said she was anything but calm.

"Perhaps we should finish this discussion in the war room", Christopher spoke then, lifting his gaze from Valissia, who met his look with one of her own, to the onlookers around the main hall. Everyone was clearly listening in, many pretending not to pay attention, many openly gawking at the brewing argument, but everyone was absorbing every word spoken. The hallway echoed with the ongoing discussion as everyone moved to the war room.

Michel dabbed at Amelia's split lip with a handkerchief, and Talise found herself standing at Cullen's side, hands shaking as she reached up to the swelling knot on the back of his head. Despite her gentle touch, Cullen hissed at the contact, and Talise's eyes darkened with anger. She shot Josephine a look full of venom, while leaning over the table and holding a hand out to Valissia, "Do you think you have one more spell in you?"

"Here… let me do it", Magdalena swept into the room, her loose skirts trailing behind her as she walked. With her silver woven hair left down, and carrying her staff, she looked very much like a Rivaini seer. Standing on tiptoe, she held a hand over the back of Cullen's hand, and cast her spell, the whites of her eyes showing as her dark gaze rolled backwards. Cullen could not suppress a shiver as he was healed, the magic rolled off Magdalena in waves, but when she pulled back, the pain from the blow, the ache in his joints, even in his hands, was gone.

"We should come up with a plan. Quickly, before word reading the House of Repose. But we cannot just rush in there blind", Leiliana spoke.

"I have the plan" Talise tugged the scarf down from around her face with an irritated movement, "I am taking Valissia and Amelia, we're going to Val Royeaux. The headquarters for the House of Repose is there, along with the vaults."

"I do think we need to move on the House of Repose. They've now proven to be a threat. We should send soldiers to Val Royeaux", Cullen spoke, sliding an arm around Talise, his amber gaze darting to the top of her head when she stiffened beside him.

"I can get there and back on my own faster", the idea of riding to the capital of Orlais with a battalion of soldiers sent chills down the assassin's spine. Long used to hiding in the shadows, and working from the cover of darkness, any undue attention felt wrong to her.

"You're not facing them alone", Cullen countered, meeting her summer bright gaze with a stubborn set to his jaw, and a determined look in his eyes.

"We can't march soldiers into Val Royeaux looking for the vaults, the Inquisition would be accused of trying to take over", Josephine responded, looking scandalized at the very idea.

"I agree, we could send some of my agents with Talise. She's been training some of them herself", Leliana nodded to Josephine's words, but her gaze softened as she looked at Cullen. She knew why the commander was suggesting soldiers go to Val Royeaux, to protect the woman he had his arm wrapped around, "However, we could send a small detachment, very small, to wait on the outskirts, more of an escort."

"Close enough they could get in to the city if needed, we'll need a cover story as to why they are there." Cullen was visibly relieved to find the Spymaster on his side, and even more relieved when Talise relaxed beside him.

Cullen was offering her a compromise, and Talise knew it. Even as she chafed at the idea of leaving Skyhold with more than a handful of agents, she would agree to it, if only to make Cullen feel more at ease with her leaving, "They cannot follow into the city."

"I want to come. I can help" Cole seemingly appeared out of thin air, most of the occupants in the room jumping with his appearance. Except for Talise, who met his pale gaze with her own summer bright one; she regarded the other rogue for a moment, before she nodded in agreement.

"If you want Cole. But things will get messy."

"They tried to hurt Josephine. They will try again. We must protect her." Cole answered, peering at Talise from under the wide brim of his odd hair.

"I'm going", Amelia slipped from under Michel's arm to stand beside Cole, crossing her arms over her chest, "The asshole sucker punched me. I owe someone for that."

"You'll need a healer." Valissia pointedly ignored Christopher as she spoke, although she still stood close to him.

"I'm going."

The Herald was met by a chorus of No's, much to his annoyance, and several moments were spent arguing back and forth about things. Finally, Josephine broke through the debate, "The Inquisition cannot be openly seen hunting down a house of assassins. This must be done quietly. As Herald, you cannot be seen anywhere near Val Royeaux until this is over."

Christopher opened his mouth to argue, only to close it when he realized the truth of the Antivan ambassador's words. His gaze drifted to Valissia, and although she was still glaring at him, she had not yet left his side; as mad as she was at him, she was still with him. His large hand reached for hers, and she squeezed his fingers gently.

"We can sneak soldiers into Val Royeaux, to be closer if needed", Cullen spoke, breaking the fragile peace that had been achieved in the room.

"No. If they are seen we will be given away. The House of Repose is expecting retribution, I am already at a disadvantage", Talise shook her head at Cullen, meeting his stubborn gaze with one of her own.

"Outside the city is too far away if you need help", the commander responded, his voice rising as his temper did.

"Inside the city is too close for safety. If we are exposed, we will be at risk", Talise shook her head, looking towards both Amelia and Valissia for help with her argument. Valissia would not meet her gaze, and Amelia shook her head, clearly wanting no part of the brewing argument.

"Which is exactly why you should you have soldiers nearby" Cullen responded.

As Cullen and Talise argued, Blackwall offers his uninjured arm to Josephine, and Leliana followed them. Amelia took Cole by the arm, gently drawing the not quite spirit out of the room, followed by Michel. Valissia and Christopher stayed, offering their own opinions. Magdalena watched from the far end of the war table, her dark gaze bouncing from Cullen and then Talise, but she stayed quiet.

"I will accept soldiers waiting on the outskirts. But they cannot come into the city. If something goes wrong, we can make it to the edge of the city, where they will be waiting." Talise gritted the words out, one booted foot tapping impatiently against the stone floor as she spoke.

"Cullen, it does seem like a fair compromise", Christopher spoke then, trying to ease the growing tension between Cullen and Talise. The Commander of the Inquisition and the Ghost of Ferelden were glaring at each other, each unwilling to bend.

"One day. If you haven't contacted the troops waiting for you after one day in the city, they will have orders to go in and look for you", Cullen's jaw clenched as he spoke, the muscles ticking as he fought to keep his voice from rising.

"I can't get into the vaults and out in just a day."

"You don't have to. You must contact the soldiers. I'm sending Rylen and a force small enough to be unnoticed, but large enough to be of use."

"Is this absolutely necessary?"

Christopher spoke again, ignoring the way Valissia stiffened at his side, "Yes, it is. For me to agree to it, you'll have to agree to this plan. Rylen and a small squadron of troops will accompany you to Val Royeaux, they will wait for you on the outskirts."

"And you will provide at least daily updates to Rylen while you're within the city. But this must be done quickly." Cullen spoke again, folding his arms over his armored chest as he looked down at Talise. The idea of her facing down an entire guild of assassins terrified him, and it was his fear that drove him to make such demands.

"I'm not a child Cullen." Talise winced as she said the words, she sounded like a child arguing her point.

"I'm aware of that Talise. But you are not facing down just one target this time. The Ghost of Ferelden has done many things, but you have yet to take on an entire house of assassins by yourself."

"Are you saying I cannot do this?"

"And that's our cue", Valissia whispered to Christopher, catching him by the sleeve and tugging him towards the doors. They were closely followed by Magdalena, who had remained silent during the debate, but wore a grin as she walked from the war room towards Josephine's office. Christopher followed, rubbing at his temples with a large, calloused hand. Valissia turned, as the doors to the war room were slammed shut, and she took several steps back down the hallway, her brows drawing together in concern.

"No Mija. Leave them be", Magdalena curls a wrinkled hand around Valissia's arm, shaking her head no, "You never come between a lion and his mate."


End file.
